Hermiston High School freshman showed marked improvement on the 2018-2019 Oregon Department of Education Report Card, according to a report released on Thursday.
The annual report card showed that 85 percent of ninth graders in the district had fulfilled at least one quarter of the credits necessary for graduation, qualifying as on-track to graduate. This was a 3 percent increase from Hermiston’s 2017-2018 report card.
“We put a lot of focus on the first year of high school, making sure our ninth graders are learning the necessary skills and putting in the effort to graduate on time,” said Hermiston High School Principal Tom Spoo. “They’re learning it’s far easier to get on the graduation path early than to fall behind and try to catch up in their junior or senior year.”
The report card shows that 79 percent of freshmen who were at one time English language learners finished the school year on track to graduate.
“I’m proud of our students and teachers for working hard to raise the bar,” said Hermiston School District Superintendent Tricia Mooney. “Hiring a graduation coach is paying off as we’re able to make connections with students and help guide them down the right path.”
The Hermiston School District also saw slight increases in its scores for K-2 “regular attenders” – students who attended more than 90 percent of their school days – and third-grade language arts. There was a slight decline in the eight-grade mathematics score, but the overall Individual Student Progress score for grades 3-8 in language arts and mathematics were rated as “High.”
