On-time graduation increases while grade-level expectations decrease

CRESWELL – With the release of the new school district report cards from the Oregon Department of Education, the data found that 87% of students are on time to graduate – a 10% increase from the previous year and also 10% higher than the state’s average.
These report cards were released during the Nov. 13 Creswell School Board meeting.
The cards also mentioned that individual student progress is average and 88% of students in grade nine are on track to graduate, which is 3% higher than the state’s average and a 1% increase from the previous year.
When it comes to college, however, fewer students are enrolling. There was a 15% decrease from the previous year with only 44% of students enrolling in a two- or four-year college within a year of completing high school. This is below the state average of 62%.
Despite the increases in graduation preparedness, the district has seen decreases in meeting state grade-level expectations. At the middle school, only 30% of students were meeting exceptions for math, which is a 14% decrease from the previous year and under the state average by 9%.
In eighth grade specifically, only 36% of students were meeting expectations – a decrease of 19% from the previous year. This decrease in math continued at the elementary school, with a 6% drop from the previous year; at 44% of students meeting expectations, putting it above the average by 1%.
Language arts has also seen a decrease. At the middle school, only 48% of students met expectations, which is under the 54% Oregon average and is an 8% decrease from the previous year. The elementary school also had 48% of students meeting expectations, with an 8% decrease from the previous year.
During the meeting, Board Director Lacey Risdal asked about the breakdown of high school male and female regular attenders and their journey to graduation. Although 90% of high school males were regular attenders, only 77% were on track to graduate and 79% graduated on time, compared to the 87% of regularly attending females, who had 95% on track and on time to graduate.
“Regular attenders are not always the best indicators,” High School Principal Adam Watkins explained. “There are so many other factors. It’s a constant trend in our state. It doesn’t make me happy but it’s a common trend of females graduating at a higher rate.”
Other data included in the report showed that Creswell School District has 1,291 students enrolled. Of that, 77% of students are white, 13% are Hispanic/Latino and 19% are students with disabilities. Half of the students in the district are eligible for a free or reduced lunch.