Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2019)
NEWS Wednesday, OctOber 2, 2019 HerMIstOnHeraLd.cOM • A3 Umatilla focuses on graduation numbers instead of test scores By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER Smarter Balanced assess- ment scores for last year are out, and at the Umatilla School District just 18% of students demonstrated pro- ficiency in math, and 31.5% for reading, as measured by the assessment. The scores are much lower than the state’s aver- age, but that doesn’t concern Superintendent Heidi Sipe. To her, it’s simple. “It’s easy to talk about the success of a school based off of a single number,” she said. “But if you were at the doctor, you wouldn’t want them determining your own health with just one number.” Oregon students, grades three through eight as well as high school juniors, started taking Smarter Bal- anced tests in 2014. The purpose is to assess how well students are meeting the Common Core State Standards for reading, writ- ing and math skills, which the state adopted in 2010. The Oregon Department of Education recently stated that the numbers should be taken into context with other data points. Sipe said that when Ore- gon was getting ready to release the Smarter Bal- anced assessments, the Umatilla School District helped pilot the first version. She said the district noticed staff photo by ben Lonergan Tania Uribe, 11, reads along with her classmates in her copy of “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen in Kyra Hruza’s sixth-grade “books and movies” class at Clara Brownell Middle School in Umatilla last week. a few troubling things, including the length of the tests. “That was problem No. 1,” she said. District data revealed that the only kids who appeared to meet proficiency stan- dards for Smarter Balanced at the district were students who were getting 90% or higher on other assessments. At the high school, many of the students who were graduating with an associ- ate’s degree under their belts were underperforming on the Smarter Balanced tests. So while other school districts are focused in on making sure each student is preparing to score well on Smarter Balanced, Umatilla School District is not mak- ing Smarter Balanced test prep a priority. “We realized a long time ago that if we wanted to make positive outcomes happen for students, we needed to focus on gradu- ation rates and other indi- cators,” Sipe said. “We just weren’t finding the informa- process last year. Students of all grade lev- els take MAP tests three times a year, and the data focuses mostly on growth. The data can be sorted by individual student or by classroom, and teachers can use the information to help form groups and assign- ments in class. It relies on a scoring system used in other state assessments, and is available in Spanish. “One of the reasons we emphasize MAPS over Smarter Balanced,” Sipe tion from Smarter Balanced helpful.” Last year, the Umatilla School District adopted two new programs with the help of the Oregon Department of Education through a dis- trict improvement grant. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) — which, like Smarter Balanced, are computer adapted assess- ments based off Com- mon Core — and an online analytics platform called BrightBytes became a part of the district’s assessment said, “is that it provides opportunities for instruc- tional changes for students based on growth.” BrightBytes combines academic data with atten- dance and behavioral data to determine which stu- dents are “high risk” and require intervention in dif- ferent areas. Sipe said that monthly and quarterly meet- ings are held with teachers to help suss out the data and form intervention plans. The two programs kicked off at the district last year, and so far have inspired a few changes. The district has added additional behavioral spe- cialists to the schools and more kindergarten assess- ments. Sipe said that the achievement data from last year showed more profi- ciency in math among stu- dents, so the district adjusted reading curricula as well. While students at the Umatilla School District still take the Smarter Bal- anced assessments, Sipe said there is no emphasis on test prep as there might be in other schools. As districts around Ore- gon find different ways to assess students, Sipe said parents shouldn’t hesitate to learn more about how their child’s success in school is being tracked. “Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Expect answers,” she said. “Public schools need to be accountable.” PHOTOS OF THE DAY Health fair draws families to high school staff photo by Jade Mcdowell Left: Children and parents build crafts at the Home Depot booth at the Family Health & Fitness Fair. The free fair drew hundreds of area families to Hermiston High School on Saturday for health screenings, cooking classes, yoga, crafts, informational booths, food and more. The annual event was coordinated by the Healthy Communities Coalition. Right: Tricia Wattenburger, right, of Good Shepherd Health Care System discusses a teddy bear’s diagnosis. The teddy bear clinic was designed to help children know what to expect at a hospital by walking their new teddy bear through admission, diagnosis, treatment and discharge. First responders holding drill near Hermiston HERMISTON HERALD Hermiston-area emer- gency responders, along with local medical facilities and the National Weather Service, will take part in a mass casualty incident emergency drill at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to a press release from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. Jodi Florence, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said local residents might see a num- ber of emergency vehicles present outside of Herm- iston during the drill. She said the exact location and nature of the mass casu- alty incident will be kept a secret for responders until the day of the exercise. Florence said the drill will be focused on follow- ing an emergency response plan, interagency communi- cation and simulating com- munication to the public. “Responders will be communicating as though it is a real emergency. They need to do this for their practice,” she said. The press release said in the event of an actual emer- gency, the public should lis- ten to local TV and radio broadcasts for instructions and information. PET OF THE W EEK Gladys is not spayed yet, but we can pre adopt. She is approx. 2 years old. Working on potty training. Super sweet and playful. Great with dogs, lives with cats but is afraid of them. Does not do well in crate except to eat. Loves men and always wants to be with her person. Needs a fenced yard. Thank you… Carlos Meza 503-421-3439 to all our valued clients in the Hermiston community! Thank you for making our first year as John L. Scott Real Estate such an enormous success! MEET 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com PLACE YOUR AD HERE! Dalia Villegas 541-314-7046 David Florea 541-720-6658 We look forward to many more years of success! Debora Wood 541-571-0922 GLADYS Small and Large Animal Care 541.567.1138 REAL ESTATE Last October we set out to continue the legacy established by Universal Realty, and with the support of the community we have done just that! Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service ® Myrna Dorn 541-720-8993 Phil Otto 541-701-5087 Contact Audra at Don Brewer 541-215-0590 If you’re thinking of buying or selling in the Hermiston Community… think of the market leader. 541.564.4538 Today! Think… John L. Scott Hermiston Start your If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 HOME SEARCH AT ® .com www.hermistonoffice. 985 N 1�� St | Hermiston | 541-567-8303 Some Offices are individually owned and operated. REALTOR ® EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
