Ashland School District Supt. Hattrick reflects on gains, areas in need of improvement 

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news

Ashland school gains in eighth grade math scores on the one hand and areas in need of improvement — including in test attendance — on the other were among highlights picked out by Ashland Supt. Joseph Hattrick following the release of 2024 Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) spring summative tests by the Oregon Department of Education on Thursday. 

Each fall, the test results help bring into focus the progress of students in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science for grades 3 through 8 and high school students statewide. ODE officials stressed in a webinar on Wednesday that test scores should be viewed as just one aspect of a student’s educational accomplishment.

“The data helps the district shape future learning strategies and ensures that all students, no matter their background, have the opportunity to succeed,” Hattrick said.

“These results are a testament to the hard work of our students, teachers, and staff. We’re optimistic with the progress we’re seeing in many areas, particularly among student groups that have been historically underserved. While we still have work to do, we are excited about the progress and are committed to building on it.”

In an online webinar for statewide media on Wednesday, Dan Farley, assistant superintendent of the ODE Office of Research, Assessment, Data, Accountability, and Reporting (RADAR), expanded on the assessment from the state view.

“How do we know if we are living into our collective responsibility to support our children in learning?” Farley said in an online webinar by ODE officials for statewide media Wednesday. “State test results give us one important source of information to help address that question.”

There are, he said, “552,380 students … enrolled across Oregon in grades K-12 and they speak more than 340 languages. We know that representation is so critical to creating inclusive learning environments, and that there is a significant impact when students are taught by educators who look like them.”

Key highlights from the 2024 OSAS results include:

• Mathematics Proficiency: Despite the implementation of a new math curriculum, which often leads to a temporary decline in performance, Hattrick said the district maintained steady student proficiency in mathematics. He believes this demonstrates resilience of students and the effectiveness of the district’s curriculum adoption process.

• Elementary Growth: English Language Learners (ELLs) and Black/African American students showed significant gains in mathematics proficiency at the elementary level, thanks to targeted supports and interventions.

Ashland Middle School:

• Students with disabilities and Black/African American students at the middle school level also showed growth in math proficiency, reflecting the district’s commitment to equity-driven education.

• Ashland Middle School’s eighth grade Hispanic/Latino students demonstrated an astounding 20.7% growth in mathematics proficiency. Hattrick noted this as a remarkable achievement that highlights the effectiveness of the district’s efforts to close achievement gaps and support underserved student populations.

Hattrick shared with school board members during a virtual work session on Thursday that ODE has reached out to Ashland School District to learn more about the gains in math proficiency.

Ashland High School:

• Ashland High School (AHS) saw increased math proficiency across several student groups, including English Learners, Hispanic/Latino students, and students from underserved racial and ethnic backgrounds.

• AHS also saw a 36% increase in participation from students with disabilities in the assessments, the highest participation rate in the school’s recent history, what Hattrick describes as underscoring the district’s commitment to inclusivity in assessment practices.

English Language Proficiency: 

English Language Learners across all grade levels are making significant progress toward English proficiency:

• Elementary Schools: ELLs demonstrated an 11% growth in English proficiency.

• AMS: ELLs showed 32% growth toward proficiency.

• AHS: ELLs achieved a 21% growth in English proficiency.

In response to what Hattrick calls “encouraging results,” he said Ashland School District is focused on maintaining and accelerating this momentum by:

• Continuing to provide targeted support for English Learners and historically underserved students to ensure equitable access to academic success.

• Expanding professional development for teachers, particularly in culturally responsive teaching and differentiated instruction, to further meet the needs of diverse learners.

• Strengthening family and community engagement efforts, ensuring that families are equipped with the resources needed to support student learning at home.

“The incredible 20.7% growth in math proficiency among our eighth grade Hispanic/Latino students at Ashland Middle School is a point of pride for our district,” Hattrick said. “It is a powerful example of what is possible when we prioritize equity and provide our students with the resources they need to succeed.”

As the district continues to review the data through multiple lenses, Hattrick emphasized the importance of identifying areas for improvement and replicating the sources of success.

“As we continue to analyze the data, we remain committed to finding areas where we can further close the achievement gap and ensure that all students are proficient and graduate on time,” Hattrick said. “We also need to evaluate the sources of our success — and this begins in our classrooms. The Ashland School District is fortunate to have incredible educators, and by ‘educators,’ I mean all of our staff — without whom the education of our students would not be possible. Every single staff member has a passion for meeting the needs of ALL learners.”

“While we have much to celebrate, there are still several areas for improvement in Math, Language Arts, graduation rates, and attendance,” Hattrick said. “It is vital that we continue to strive for progress to ensure every student receives the support necessary to succeed and thrive.”

Hattrick accounted for post-pandemic numbers in the state assessment.

“As the district reviews longitudinal data, it is clear that the pandemic still has an impact on learning,” Hattrick said. “I am proud of the interventions in place to mitigate learning loss, but that data shows a dip from ’18-19 to ’21-22 assessment reports. The district remains steadfast in its commitment to support our learners in any way that we can to mitigate those impacts.”

Asked about the district’s plans to improve test scores in math and language arts, Hattrick said: “The Ashland School District has proudly established numerous programs, professional learning systems, and educator development initiatives, along with effective intervention and monitoring systems,” Hattrick told Ashland.news in an email Wednesday. “This year, we have adopted and implemented a new Math curriculum, and we will also be evaluating new ELA curriculum options for grades K-5. Additionally, we have introduced a Social-Emotional Learning curriculum called Wayfinder. Our professional learning initiatives encompass the Science of Reading, Universal Design, Computational Thinking, Math Habits of Mind, and various other instructional strategies that emphasize equity through differentiated learning approaches. It is crucial that we continue to support these practices, as we are already witnessing their positive effects and expect these impacts to strengthen over time.”

ODE officials spoke virtually to reporters on Wednesday about the direction of the state tests going forward.

“ODE is shifting toward incorporating qualitative sources of information to support a well-rounded understanding of system strengths,” Farley said.

Andrea Lockard, director of assessment and student reporting, followed up with context for the shift.

“Historically, in our pursuit to tell the story of how our students are doing in school, we have focused almost exclusively on academic data sources and particularly with an emphasis on state summative test data, which provides one annual snapshot of systems-level performance,” said Andrea Lockard, director of assessment and student reporting. “We have continued to support the expansion of interim tests and formative assessment practices.

“This narrow focus on only academic data sources, however, can result in invisibilizing the other components that help us see how students are doing in addition to the hard work being done to improve academic outcomes,” she added. “One of the most significant ways that we are beginning to interrupt the narrow definition of achievement, focused on a passing test score, is to examine a broad range of data.”

Hattrick, echoing ODE officials on Wednesday, emphasized the test scores are not a catch-all that fully defines student long-term success.

“The OSAS data is just one aspect of a student’s educational experience and shouldn’t be viewed as the sole measure of success,” Hattrick said. “While the data does show that our students are performing well academically, success encompasses much more. It includes participation in extracurricular activities, athletics, clubs, civic engagement, and involvement in our social-emotional curriculum. Having been with the Ashland School District for three months as of last Tuesday, I can confidently say that, through my interactions with students across all schools and grades, both academically and socially, I am filled with optimism for the future. We are educating remarkable individuals who will make their future employers, professors, neighbors, and communities proud—just as they have already made me proud!”

For more information about the 2024 Oregon Statewide Assessment results, visit the Oregon Department of Education website or contact your child’s school.

Email Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].