Central SD 13J unveils one-page strategic scorecard; preliminary metrics show gains and gaps

Central School District 13J presented a new one-page strategic plan scorecard and preliminary performance data for 2024-25 during a regular board meeting, showing progress on some indicators and continued gaps on others.

Executive director of teaching and learning Julie Heilman described the scorecard as a condensed tool to communicate four strategic goals, associated vision statements and the metrics used to measure progress. The presentation covered regular attendance, discipline incidents (suspensions/expulsions), spring universal screener results for reading and math for multiple cohorts, and ninth-grade on-track status.

Preliminary districtwide regular attendance for 2024-25 was reported at 62%, which the presentation said met the Oregon Department of Education's state target of 60% for that reporting period. The district's aspirational goal remains higher (the district set an aspirational target of 85% in prior planning). Attendance for students with disabilities was reported at 58.8% (a three-year, two-percentage-point decline noted in the presentation). Economically disadvantaged students were reported at 57.3% (a two-point decline year-over-year). District leaders emphasized targeted supports, including an attendance postcard/text-notification strategy launched in March 2025 and continued use of PowerSchool and ParentSquare to reach families.

On discipline, the district reported 665 incidents of suspension or expulsion in the most recent reporting period (the presenters clarified the total counts incidents, not unique students). Overall incidents decreased from the prior year but remained slightly higher than 2021-22 levels; male suspension rates remained flat over two years but are higher than the 2021-22 baseline, the presentation said. The district has set separate discipline goals for all students and for male students to address disproportionality.

Third-grade reading and math universal screener results showed mixed outcomes: reading growth was strong across grades since kindergarten but was flat from winter to spring for the third-grade cohort. Math results showed modest decreases in some cohorts; district staff said a new math curriculum will be implemented starting this school year, with training for K-10 staff beginning in August and a phased high-school rollout.

District leaders compared local fastBridge universal screener means to national means: for one cohort the district average was 205 in math versus a reported national mean of 210; for a sixth-grade cohort the district average was 523 versus a national mean of 528. Presenters cautioned that cohort comparisons and small subgroup sizes (for special education, emergent bilinguals) can cause notable percentage swings.

Ninth-grade on-track results declined from the previous year for all students and for emergent bilingual students; district staff noted the state baseline target was 78% and said the district did not meet that baseline this year. Presenters highlighted ongoing interventions including credit recovery, earlier exposure to career and technical education (CTE) and advisory lessons on credits.

Board members and staff emphasized professional learning communities (PLCs), targeted interventions and community partnerships (including tutoring and mentoring) as central strategies to close gaps. The scorecard and related materials will be shared with families and translated for broader access, the district said.

Board members thanked staff for the condensed scorecard and asked that it be distributed in families' primary languages and posted on district channels.