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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 2017)
September 22, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A Grades down in English, math, science countywide Performance mirrored other schools around state By Betsy Hammond The Oregonian Oregon students lost ground in reading, writing and math over the past year, according to test results released Thursday, Sept. 14. Particularly in the elemen- tary grades, fewer students achieved proficiency on end- of-year exams designed to show whether they are on track to be ready for college and the world of work. No grade level showed substantial improvement from 2016. Clatsop County schools mirrored the state, with most grades showing declines in college and career readiness in English, language arts, mathe- matics and science. Astoria fifth- and 11th-grad- ers largely outperformed the state average in English and language arts but fell behind in math, with a third- or few- er students college and career ready. Seaside fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders outperformed the state average on English and language arts, but fewer than 30 percent of those grade levels reached proficiency in mathematics. Warrenton-Ham- DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP Clatsop County schools mirrored the state in test results, with most grades showing de- clines in college and career readiness in English, language arts, mathematics and science. mond students fell behind on English and language arts but nearly matched state averages in mathematics, especially in later grades. How well Oregon schools prepared high school juniors, who have just a year before they face college or the job market, was less than clear. Roughly 6,000 students, or about 15 percent of the junior class, skipped the tests, which are more demanding than the previous generation of year- end exams. That was a tad more than ducked testing in 2016. The new tests, titled Smart- er Balanced, were developed by a consortium of 13 states to measure reading, writing, listening, math and reasoning skills that panels of teachers, professors, employers and oth- er experts agreed were needed at each grade level. Overall, in the three years the exams have been given, students in Oregon and most other states have struggled to reach the standards they set. This year, roughly 60 per- cent of Oregon public school students fell short in math- ematics as did 45 percent in reading and writing. It was the worst showing yet by Oregon schools, particularly in lan- guage arts. Statewide, all four major race and ethnic groups — whites, Latinos, Asians and blacks — registered lower proficiency rates than in 2016. Scores for Asian-American students, already the top-per- forming group, dipped least; scores among white students fell the most. How well students per- formed on the Smarter Bal- anced tests this year will be the primary factor driving the school performance ratings that the Oregon Department of Education plans to issue in October. But those ratings will re- quire a more sophisticated determination than whether a school posted low, average or high scores. Instead, the rat- ings will be based primarily on how much the school helped individual students progress in English and in math from where that particular student scored a year or two before. Performance ratings also give extra weight to how well schools succeed with students who historically have strug- gled in Oregon schools: mi- norities, low-income students, those with disabilities and stu- dents still learning English as a second language. Very few Oregon students still learning to master English do well on the exams, which require reading complex pas- sages and following multistep math instructions. But a high- er share of them registered as proficient on both English and math exams this year, making them the only demographic group to show strong gains. Smarter Balanced tests are designed to measure how well students have been taught to master the Common Core State Standards, a set of rigorous ex- pectations for reading, writing, math and reasoning skills ad- opted by nearly all U.S. states. Still, the tests have re- mained controversial. At some Oregon schools, parents or students decide that it’s best for the student to sit them out. That’s particularly true at some schools where students gener- ally do well on standardized tests. This year, only 16 per- cent of juniors at Portland’s Cleveland High, known for its academically rigorous In- ternational Baccalaureate pro- gram, took the math portion of the test. More than half the juniors at Lake Oswego High and Portland’s Wilson High skipped one or both exams, and nearly half skipped both subjects at Portland’s Grant High. Students at Lake Oswego and some other schools orga- nized to urge fellow students to boycott the tests. They say they do a poor job of measur- ing readiness for college. They also complain they place an undue burden on juniors, giv- en that many take the ACT, the SAT, Advanced Placement exams and other standardized tests that year. Test-taking rates among elementary pupils were gen- erally very high. But dozens of Portland-area elementary schools — mostly ones in com- fortably middle-class Portland neighborhoods — fell short of testing 95 percent of students. Edward Stratton of The Daily Astorian contributed to this story. School building repairs put on back-burner Local Realtor is honored Schools from Page 1A to open for students in 2020. Meanwhile, existing schools continue to house stu- dents. During the summer break, maintenance crews polished all school floors and painted at Gearhart, Seaside Heights and Broadway schools. Loesch said the district’s maintenance team also per- formed integrated pest man- agement this year on all school buildings. “By trimming the trees up and back and from all the buildings and all the shrub- bery so it does not collect leaves and trash and rodents so it doesn’t create problems,” he said. Leaks in the high school computer rooms “are in the works to be patched,” he added, but pipe repairs at Gearhart are unlikely to get attention before students are moved to the new campus. At the start of the school year, Seaside High School Principal Jeff Roberts said staff focuses on safety “by being proactive and making R.J. MARX/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Seaside School District Superintendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty shows the conditions of the boiler room at Gearhart Elementary School in 2016. Seaside School District Su- perintendent Sheila Roley at the start of the 2017-18 school year. for students and will be very thoughtful in any significant investments we make in cap- ital improvements.” Meanwhile, the district cleared a hurdle for construc- tion of the new school by winning approval for zoning changes to bring the campus within the city’s urban growth boundary. Work is not expected to begin until next spring and the first classes are expected in 2020. For now, the existing buildings will not be likely to see much in the way of up- grades or construction. “We probably would defer unless it was really critical do- ing it,” Roley said. “There are always things. It’s a continual process.” DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP necessary repairs after routine checks.” “We continue to feel blessed that this communi- ty supported the initiative to build new schools that will support student learning and keep kids safe,” Roberts said. “Upon passing of the bond we have been diligent in our spending to ensure that our building is functional and safe Writing lab at Hoffman Center Join writers interested in submitting to the next issue of the North Coast Squid for a writing lab, Sunday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Hoffman Center for the Arts. Writers get feedback from fellow writers and offer in- sights to other participants. Submissions are accepted for fiction, nonfiction and po- etry with a young writers cat- egory for those 18 and under. All submissions are se- lected in a blind judging by authors and poets outside the coastal area. Submissions of art, photos and photos of sculptures will also be solic- ited for cover art and inside art, with final art chosen by a committee. RSVP by emailing north- coastsquid@gmail.com. Space is limited. The North Coast Squid, a program of the Hoffman Cen- ter for the Arts and the Manza- nita Writers Series, showcases the work of writers and artists who live on the North Coast or have a strong connection to the area. The next issue will be published in April. Alaina Giguiere with RE/ of the previous year. To qual- MAX Coastal Advantage is ify, an individual must have among the 2,506 RE/ closed 50 transaction MAX agents and teams sides or $20 million in featured in this year’s closed sales volume and REAL Trends “Amer- a team must have closed ica’s Best Real Estate 75 transaction sides or Agents” survey. The Alaina $30 million in closed agents included in the Giguiere sales volume last year. survey represent less Giguiere has near- than one percent of all real es- ly 17 years of experience in tate professionals in the Unit- the coastal real estate mar- ed States. ketplace. This is the first year The REAL Trends “Amer- Giguiere has been recognized ica’s Best Real Estate Agents” among “America’s Best.” She survey ranks participating is also the No. 1 agent in the agents in the United States Clatsop MLS and the No. 2 based on residential transac- agent for RE/MAX in the state tion sides and sales volume for 2016. Dining on the North Coast Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam dinner steaks & Chowder, but that’s not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! powered by Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. 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