All but two Sweet Home schools improved their overall rating on the school report cards released last week by the Oregon Department of Education.
The major marks earned by School District 55 include an exceptional rating for Foster Elementary School and a satisfactory rating for Sweet Home High School after a low rating last year.
The District is planning to release school report cards to parents today (Wednesday). Each school will include information about the school’s performance, the district and a wraparound with additional information.
The rating at Foster “reflects what’s going on her with staff in school,” Principal Vic Zgorzelski said. “”We’ve been building in a number of things here. We have a really strong instructional staff and support staff.”
Teachers have been taking advantage of training and applying that in classroom assignments. Off year assessment testing helps the students prepare for the third- and fifth-grade testing years.
Results from those tests are used to help adjust the School Improvement plan.
“You put all these pieces together, and you have them headed in the same direction … I think it gives kids the opportunity to shine when it comes to assessment time,” Zgorzelski said.
The school had a strong rating last year, and it built from there to exceptional.
“If we are that’s terrific,” Zgorzelski said. The rating was not a goal. “The goal is to prepare kids so they will eventually graduate from high school, so they can be successful. We’re just going to keep working hard.
“I’ve been here for six years, and I’ve known this for six years. We have a great staff here. We’re all pulling in the same direction. “ The rating to Zgorzelski is primarily a public recognition of the school’ s success.
“We’re very pleased to receive such a rating like that,” Zgorzelski said, and other schools are looking to Foster as an example. The Oregon Department of Education has taken an interest as well.
Foster increased from strong to exceptional in student performance, from low to satisfactory in student behavior and satisfactory to exceptional in school character.
After receiving a low rating last year, high school administrators and faculty were devastated. They were offered the opportunity not to take a rating this year to allow more time for improvement, but the staff opted to take a rating.
Principal Pat Stineff was ecstatic to see the rating rise to satisfactory. That came on the strength of academic improvement and a decrease in the high school drop out rate despite the school’ s attendance rate dropping by about a point to 85 percent last year. Statewide, average attendance is 93 percent. The dropout rate declined from 9.8 percent in 1998-99 to 6.5 percent in 1999-2000.
“I think we concentrated more on the tasks, the work samples,” Stineff said. Staff let kids know in more detail where they were in preparation for certificate of initial mastery (CIM) testing. Teachers aligned their classes more with state tests, and every year the testing process itself is refined further.
Students’ efforts were a big part of the school’s rating as well, Stineff said. “We’ve got to keep convincing them this is important.”
The school will keep working on improving test scores, Stineff said. SHHS still needs a lot of work in student behavior, attendance in particular.
“We really need the parents’ help on that,” Stineff said. The new graduation requirements approved by the School Board this month are aimed at doing just that by making coursework more relevant to students’ future and requiring them to pass a certain number of electives in their interest areas to graduate, requiring attendance in more challenging classes.
High school staff will continue training and workshops for staff to improve the school’s performance and reach a strong rating.
The high school improved its school character rating from satisfactory to exceptional and student behavior from unacceptable to low. Student performance was rated satisfactory, the same as last year, bit student improvement improved this year after declining last year.
Supt. Bill Hampton said the rating at Foster was a “real compliment to the faculty, staff and administration” and their exceptional work.
Last year was tough for SHHS, but the improvements are “really positive for them,” Supt. Hampton said. “I’m really pleased. Foster of course is at the top of the pile. It’s like winning the Superbowl.”
Overall, the District is pleased with the efforts of its staff, Supt. Hampton said, especially with a tight budget and declining enrollment and its bite on the budget.
I feel pretty good,” School Board Chairman Milt Moran said. “Because there was some really good improvement in our schools.”
He pointed especially to the high school’s improvement this year and Foster’s achievement of exceptional.
“I just think that’s a real tribute to the staff and administration,” Moran said. The new graduation requirements might provide some better direction to students and help out with ratings next year, encouraging students to do a better job of staying in school.
Moran wanted to stress his appreciation to those in the District.
“I want to make sure they know we’re supportive and appreciative of all the hard work they’ve (staff) done and students as well,” Moran said. “I think our District should feel good about that report card.”
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for the entire Sweet Home community,” Board Member Bob Pascalar said. “Everyone has a solid reason to rejoice and be very proud of our entire school district.
“As you know, the Board added a fifth goal to the school district’s responsibilities, and it had to do with getting the adults and parents more involved in the students’ education.
“There are many studies that tell us that when parents and other adults are more active in the students’ education that this concept works.
“It is important for all citizens to understand that everyone who touches the lives of our students, whether it be parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, teachers’ aids, Sweet Home Boys and Girls Club, Sweet Home Youth Initiative, coaches, the faith community and our businesses, all had a part and will continue to have a profound impact on our children’s educational success. Thanks to all.”