Schools show mixed results

But a preliminary report issued by the Oregon Department of Education Monday shows that for the third year in a row, the district failed to meet standards for adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal school reform law.

(Formerly known as No Child Left Behind, the law has been renamed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, identified by the acronym ESEA.)

Although the district was rated high in most categories of the report, economically disadvantaged students at Baker High School fell short of meeting the math standards. Just 52.2 percent of students met benchmarks. That’s below the AYP target of 59 percent.And not enough Baker Web Academy students participated in the testing for that program to meet AYP, Wegener said. The participation target is set at 95 percent, but 86 percent of Baker Web Academy students were tested, according to the report.

Wegener said he and Web Academy Principal Nate Williams will be working with the charter school’s diverse population to try to ensure that more students are tested in the future.

Baker High School Principal Jerry Peacock and teachers at his school also will continue to seek ways to help economically disadvantaged students improve.

“Jerry and his staff are going to grind through every scintilla and frame to see what resources they need,” Wegener said.

The district will face increasing pressure to ensure student success as state standards are raised to require students to complete algebra, geometry and algebra II and to prove their proficiency in those subjects by 2014, Wegener said.

“Everybody can learn math,” he says. “They just need the appropriate assistance.”

Writing scores, which are not included in the report, also were a disappointment to administrators, he added.

“We have some challenges to confront,” Wegener said. “Otherwise we can celebrate. We have a lot to be proud of.”

Wegener said the district’s students with disabilities met AYP as did Baker Middle School students, who have struggled in past years. And while Keating School’s AYP designation is pending, it is assured to meet the requirements, with nearly all students meeting benchmarks and participation and attendance rates.

In addition to the 59 percent math target, Oregon standards require that 60 percent of all students meet benchmark scores in English and language arts. Those targets will increase to 70 percent for math and English in 2010-11, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

“I have no problem with raising the standards, but I wish they would also raise the fiscal,” Wegener said.

In order to meet overall AYP, schools also must meet an attendance or graduation target. And academic benchmarks must be met by the overall student population and by any demographic group in the school that includes 42 or more students, including socio-economic status, English proficiency, race/ethnicity and special education.

The Baker School District will not face any sanctions for failing to meet AYP.

“Mostly it’s an embarrassment and bad PR,” Wegener said.

But he offers no apology for the district’s performance.

“Baker is one of the shining stars on the east side,” he said. “Leaving Baker to try to find a better eastside school is probably not very productive.”

All other Baker County schools and the North Powder School District met AYP.

More details about each school’s performance can be found at this Web site: www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/

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