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
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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
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541-571-0922
GLADYS
Small and Large Animal Care
541.567.1138
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541-720-8993
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Contact Audra at
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