Annual Report Card Shows Local School Improvement

The 2010-2011 School Report Cards and District Report Cards show three local schools rated as outstanding – Crestview Heights in Waldport, Isaac Newton Magnet School in Newport, and Newport High. This is the third consecutive year for Crestview Heights to attain the top rating, and the seventh year in a row for Isaac Newton. Toledo Elementary, Toledo Junior/Senior High, and Eddyville Charter School were rated satisfactory, joining Newport Intermediate, Newport Preparatory Academy, Oceanlake Elementary in Lincoln City, Sam Case Primary in Newport, Taft Elementary in Lincoln City, and Waldport High in that category. Siletz Valley Charter School and Taft 7-12 High were rated in need of improvement. Siletz Valley Early College Academy and Career Tech High in Lincoln City were not rated because of insufficient data.

Lincoln County School District officials said they are encouraged by the results. “In reviewing the data, we see the majority of our schools are trending upward, even with the academic bar being raised,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sara Johnson. “We applaud our schools that are rated as outstanding, and we will continue to provide the necessary support and resources to our other schools so they can attain that highest rating as well.” To determine the overall school rating, the state uses a formula that includes the school’s achievement index, improvement index, graduation rate (for high schools) or attendance rate (for elementary/middle schools), the participation rate of students taking the state academic assessment tests, and the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress status, according to the District.

As for Siletz Valley Charter School’s low rating, LCSD administrators are working closely with their staff to provide support, Johnson said. “Although the Siletz charter schools are semi-autonomous, we gladly collaborate with them as requested to ensure that all students in our district have the same opportunity to receive a quality education,” Johnson added.

The Oregon Department of Education issues three major reports each fall showing student academic achievement, according to LCSD Data Coordinator Mary Kelly. They are AYP, OAKS, and the School Report Card. “There are many reporting tools that help us keep track of how well we are educating our children,” she said. “It can be confusing to the lay person as the reports overlap somewhat, and the data is used and interpreted in different ways. “What is most important to know about these reports is that they help us to identify our areas of strength and areas needing improvement,” Kelly continued. “In the past few years, an incredible amount of our district resources have been devoted to improving student achievement and to meeting the new, higher goals mandated by the state. We are proud of our progress, but continually strive to be better.”

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): AYP is a key part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Under the act, schools are expected to meet state-set goals based on student achievement data collected by the state assessment system. The AYP report issued on Sept. 2 shows that nine of Lincoln County School District’s 16 schools met AYP standards, although AYP standards were set higher than the previous year.

Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS): In August, Oregon announced results of student performance on the 2010-2011 OAKS testing. The OAKS report shows the aggregate performance of all tested students by grade, school and district. “We are making growth as a district,” Kelly says. “Our reading assessment shows a gain of 2.6 percent from 2009-10 to 2010-11 in the number of students meeting or exceeding benchmark. In Math, It’s difficult to ascertain our growth or decline due to the raised cut score bar the state set in 10-11; the data does not correlate to the 2009-10 scores. However, data simulations which calculate our 10-11 scores, based on the 09-10 benchmarks, reflect a slight gain in math, as well.”

Oregon Report Card: Of the three reports, the Oregon Report Card offers the most complete look at how students and schools are performing, Kelly says. This is because the schools are rated on an individual student growth model which was designed by the Oregon Department of Education. The report also includes a more thorough review of school quality, including, attendance, teacher education, and more. All three reports are available online, for current and past years, on the Oregon Department of Education website (www.ode.state.or.us). Links can also be found on the Lincoln County School District website (www.lincoln.k12.or.us). For specific questions about the school data call 541-265-4440 or email.

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Authorities Say Cody Myers Was Murdered Near Toledo

Cody Myers

The Oregon State Police has confirmed that Cody Myers, 19 of Lafayette, was murdered in the Pioneer Mountain area east of Toledo. Detectives believe Myers arrived in Newport Saturday, October 1 for the Newport Jazz Festival. After his arrival, he apparently came into contact with one or both suspects before his death. Myers’ body was found October 5 in the Mary’s Peak area southwest of Corvallis. The suspects, David Pederson, 31 and Holly Grigsby, 24, are still in custody in Yuba County California where they are being held on local charges. Their bail has been set at $1 million. They are suspects in three other murders, including Pederson’s father, David Jones Pederson, who had been missing since September 29. His body was found in his vehicle in rural Linn County and positively identified today (October 10). Investigators are not yet releasing information about whether the suspects will be extradited to Washington or Oregon.

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This is Fire Prevention Week

Governor John Kitzhaber has proclaimed October 9 – 15 Oregon Fire Prevention Week. The Governor and State Fire Marshal Mark Wallace encourage Oregonians to have working smoke alarms, practice a home escape plan, and to consider installing home fire sprinklers. “Fire safety always begins at home, and Fire Prevention Week is a great time to start fire-safe habits,” Wallace said. “Last year, one out of every four structure fires was in a home with no smoke alarm or where a smoke alarm failed to operate. That’s why we continuously encourage residents to test and maintain their smoke alarms to be sure they are working properly. Families should also be sure to develop a home escape plan and practice it.” In 2010 in Oregon, there were 2,733 fires in one- and two-family dwellings resulting in 16 deaths, 172 injuries, and more than $62 million in property loss.

Additional fire safety tips include: replacing smoke alarms 10 years old or older; having battery back-ups for hard-wired alarms; never disconnect or remove batteries from smoke alarms for other uses. If your smoke alarm sounds, immediately go outside and stay out. Meet at a safe place and call 9-1-1. If you need assistance with smoke alarms, contact your local fire agency.

A home fire escape plan should include a map of your home showing doors and windows, and two ways out of each room. Make sure young children, older adults, and people with disabilities can get out. Agree on an outdoor meeting place. Never go back inside for people, pets or personal belongings. Practice your plan at least twice every year during the day and night. Fire Prevention Week is observed annually throughout North America and Europe, acknowledging the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire that destroyed a large part of the city and killed 250 people on October 9, 1871.

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Oregon Will Host GOP Debate March 19

(C) by Oregonian News Network partner Oregon Capitol Press.

By SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND, Ore.- In the heart of primary season, all eyes will turn to Oregon for a presidential GOP debate three months before the state’s May primary.

The Oregon Republican Party announced last week that they have been selected by the Republican National Committee to host a presidential primary debate on March 19.

The debate, to be sponsored by the Washington Times, OPB, PBS, and NPR will be held in Portland almost three months before the presidential primary is slated for an election in the Beaver State.

Oregon is one of the last states to hold a primary or caucus in national elections. Only eight of the 50 states are scheduled to hold their primaries after Oregon’s.

According to RNC and Democratic National Committee rules, states are restricted from holding their primaries before the “Super Tuesday” voting day in on March 6.

But still, a few states like Florida and Arizona have disregarded those rules to move their primaries earlier in the year. This could come with a penalty of those states losing delegates in the party conventions.

With these states moving their primaries earlier in the season, the states which are allowed by the parties to have earlier primaries and caucuses like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Caroline have decided to move their elections even earlier, pushing the starting dates for the primary season into early January or even December.

New Hampshire, the state which has held the first presidential primary in the U.S. since 1920, has a state law requiring that its primary be scheduled for 7 days before any other state’s primary election. The law was passed in 2010 to “protect the tradition of the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary.”

Meanwhile, Iowa, which holds the first primary caucus in the nation, is considering January 3 for its caucus date, depending on talks with New Hampshire leaders.

Lawmakers attempted to move the Oregon primary into February back in 2007, but the proposal failed to gain momentum.

A bill was proposed earlier this year in the legislature to move Oregon’s primary. But unlike the other states trying to move ahead in the primary race, the bill would have moved Oregon’s primary to June. The bill never passed out of its committee.

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Kitzhaber Tries To Educate DC on Health Care Reform

John Kitzhaber (photo: Michael Lloyd, The Oregonian)

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber called on Congress this week to let states demonstrate new models to improve health care while reducing cost. In a keynote address to the 2011 Medicaid Managed Care Conference in Washington D.C. October 4, Kitzhaber said Congress must reframe the debate over Medicaid, Medicare and the national debt. “My point is that Congress is debating the wrong thing,” Kitzhaber said. “This is not a financing problem. It is a deep, systemic problem. And successfully addressing it requires…change that cannot be accomplished by limiting ourselves to incremental tinkering within…the deeply flawed structure of the current system.” A release from the Governor’s office said Kitzhaber emphasized the need to focus on the “triple aim” of improving the health of the population; reducing per capita cost; and improving the patient experience – in terms of outcomes, safety and satisfaction.

Kitzhaber was critical of the status quo, saying, “There is clear waste and inefficiency in the system and as a state – and a nation – we cannot afford to pay for it anymore.” He used Oregon examples to describe achievements in cost containment and reducing reliance on emergency rooms for non-emergency care. This is done, he said, by using a team-based approach integrating physical and mental health care. He also pointed to bipartisan support for health care transformation legislation in Oregon as hope for a new approach at the federal level. “This legislative session we stopped kicking the can down the road and instead created a budget and structural reforms in Medicaid that will do things differently. And that is exactly what we need to do with the Medicare program as well,” he said.

You can read Kitzhaber’s entire address at this link.

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