‘In no way satisfied:’ Oregon Dept. of Education issues school, district profiles; low attendance among concerns

Stats show lingering pandemic impacts

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Department of Education released on Thursday the At-A-Glance School and District Profiles for the 2022-23 school year, and continued low post-pandemic attendance levels are one key reason the agency's new director says she's "in no way satisfied" with this year's results.

The At-A-Glance School and District Profiles are designed to provide key school and district level information to local communities. 

“I’m in no way satisfied with where these results are. I took this role to make a difference, we need to see what the data are telling us and be responsive to that,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, ODE director. “It’s a good sign that the 9th Grade On-Track figure, a key metric in making sure students are on track to graduate from high school, is rising. The decrease in attendance, however, is a signal that we need to continue removing barriers to attendance by making our schools engaging and welcoming for students.”

The At-A-Glance School and District Profiles contain previously released assessment data for last school year, previously released graduation data for the class of 2022 and some new data for the 2022-23 school year. The profiles provide a quick and comprehensive approach to share how schools and school districts are serving students.  

Key Statewide Information

• The statewide 9th Grade On-Track rate rose last year by 0.8% and is approaching pre-pandemic levels. This increase represents nearly 700 more students being on-track to graduate at the end of 9th grade, compared to a year ago. It’s encouraging to see the critical 9th Grade On-Track numbers continue to rise.   
• The rate of students going to college within 16 months of graduation declined nearly a full percentage point from 56.4% for the graduates of the Class of 2020 to 55.6% for the class of 2021. These declines are similar to overall declines in college enrollment seen in Oregon and nationwide and reflect data from when the global pandemic was at its peak. The decline is much smaller than the 5.4 percentage point drop reported last year.
• College going rates declined for most racial/ethnic groups, while increasing by 1.6 and 1.4 percentage points for students who are federally-identified as American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian, respectively. 
• We have seen a decline in regular attendance in 2022-23, with the rate falling 2.0% from 2021-22.  Rates of regular attendance remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels. We know that students aren’t benefiting from instruction when they are not in the classroom, so this is a serious concern for Oregon’s educators. Our Every Day Matters team is working with districts to address attendance concerns. Every Day Matters is a statewide initiative that works with schools and districts to boost attendance and student engagement by building relationships with students, families, and community members to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism, and include strategies such as hiring of community-school liaisons, family advocates, and school counselors.

What’s new on the At-A-Glance School and District Profiles this year?

• Prior year comparison information is back on the At-A-Glance School and District Profiles. On the front page of the profiles we display if an indicator rate increased or decreased and by how much compared to the prior year. Prior year comparison information was discontinued on the At-A-Glance School and District Profiles in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 due to pandemic data disruptions.
• Added Social Worker rounded Full Time Equivalent to the At-A-Glance School and District Profiles.
• The At-A-Glance District Profiles, which are district specific, were revised to better align with Student Investment Account metrics.
• The At-A-Glance School and District Profiles now include data on students whose families serve in the military. 

Background On The At-A-Glance School and District Profiles

The At-A-Glance School and District Profiles are available on the ODE's webpage and school districts are required to make them available to their community. 

The At-A-Glance School and District Profiles include graphics showing how a school or district compares to the statewide average in categories like regular attenders, graduation rates, median class size and more. The profiles were developed with extensive input from Oregon families, including families of historically underserved students. 

The data points represent a comprehensive approach to evaluating and measuring a school’s impact on students. In five minutes or less, parents can get the comprehensive look at their school or district that they’ve been requesting. 

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Statement from Bend-La Pine Schools Director of Communications Scott Maben:

The benchmarks highlighted in the 2022-23 At-A-Glance Profile for Bend-La Pine Schools show nominal changes from the prior school year.

We saw a slight increase in regular attendance but remain concerned that chronic absenteeism, which increased during the pandemic and stood at 60 percent of all students last year, remains well above acceptable levels. We especially are paying attention to higher rates of absenteeism among students lacking stable housing, American Indian/Alaska Native students, students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, and other historically underserved populations.

Our Grade 3 language arts and Grade 8 math benchmarks are unchanged from the prior year and remain well above the state average. These measures of academic success are down from pre-pandemic levels, mirroring state and national trends. This will continue to be a key area of focus for us as we work to address the disrupted learning our students experienced in recent years.

We are pleased to see an increase in the percent of students on track to graduate in their freshmen year and an increase in on-time graduation. The Bend-La Pine School District remains above the state average in both measures of high school success. We also remain above the state average in students earning their diploma or GED within five years of starting high school. This 5-year completion rate of 90 percent is down a few points from the prior year.

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Crook County School District news release:

State Test Scores Show Crook County Students Making Progress

Crook County High School Class of 2023 Records 99% Graduation Rate

(Prineville, OR) - Students in Crook County School District continue to perform better in school than the state average. The Oregon Department of Education released its At-a-Glance Profiles for the 2022-2023 school year. Crook County students in 3rd grade improved English Language Arts scores by 6%, while middle school math scores increased by 7%. That puts local students well ahead of state averages. 

3rd Grade English Language Arts (ELA)

• Crook County SD = 47% (7% increase over last year)
• State Average = 40%

8th-Grade Mathematics

• Crook County SD = 34% (6% increase over last year)
• State Average = 26%

“We are thankful student test scores are improving, but we must move the needle upward more quickly. Our goal is to see a much higher percent of students achieving at grade level, so we’ll be rolling up our sleeves and working with staff to find solutions,” said Dr. Duane Yecha, Crook County School District superintendent. 

“The improvement in scores suggests that new instructional approaches led by staff are working,” said school board member Scott Cooper. “But the overall performance of the state and district is concerning. Johnny and Johnny’s tax-paying parents deserve for Johnny to be able to have a firm, grade-level-appropriate command of reading, writing, reasoning, and arithmetic, as well as basic science and civics. I think every board member agrees on that, and this performance does not reflect the achievement we all want to see.”  

The district’s focus on ensuring every student graduates with a high school diploma continues to pay off. The on-track graduation rate, which monitors how well students perform as they progress through high school, remains at 93%. That’s unchanged from last year. On-time graduation is 92% district-wide and 99% at Crook County High School. This is directly attributed to the Freshmen Success program that focuses on teaching 9th-grade students how to succeed in high school and systems in place that track individual students to provide early support when they begin to fall behind. 

“The graduation rate reflects staff attention to every student as much as anything,” Cooper observed. “Surprise. Surprise. Paying attention to every student from freshman year forward, tracking who is wandering off track, and offering the right support to get them back on track actually works. I think this number in particular is a credit to staff dedication.”

The Crook County School Board amended its graduation policy in 2022 to protest the state of Oregon dropping the Essential Skills Requirement. The policy states that “the district will continue to require students to demonstrate on grade-level proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics through a variety of assessments in required subject-area courses throughout their high school academic career, as a condition of a standard, honors, or advanced diploma.”

Regular attendance by students is another metric Crook County School District tracks because it directly correlates with student achievement in the classroom. On average, the district only sees about 60% of students attending school regularly. According to Attendance Works, a national organization that tracks chronic absenteeism, missing 10% or more of school days for any reason can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by the third grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating from high school.