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Salem-Keizer reports 80.1% ninth-grade on-track rate; board discusses racial gaps, attendance and credit recovery
Summary
District staff presented 2023–24 ninth-grade on-track data showing 80.1% of ninth graders earned six or more credits in their first high school year. Board members pressed for explanations of subgroup gaps, and staff outlined attendance efforts, credit-recovery options and targeted supports.
District staff told the Salem-Keizer School District 24J board on April 8 that 80.1% of ninth graders in 2023–24 earned six or more credits — the district measure for being “on track” in the freshman year — and that 2,971 students were included in the cohort used for the calculation.
The figure exceeds the district’s current board target but falls short of the district’s 2025 goal of 82.1% on track, presenters said. High school director Larry Ramirez and members of the secondary team described strategies schools use to identify students who need help and the interventions they are using, including ninth-grade data teams, targeted smaller core-class sizes, in-day credit recovery “wheel” schedules, summer school, online credit-recovery options, and Saturday school sessions.
Board directors pressed district leaders on disparities among racial and language subgroups. Jonathan McElroy, the district’s director of data, told the board that subgroup sample sizes vary: Black/African American students numbered 50 in the cohort; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students numbered 70; and American Indian/Alaska Native students numbered 19. McElroy said small subgroup sizes can produce large year-to-year percentage swings and recommended the board consider both cohort trends and absolute counts when judging progress.
Directors asked about targeted efforts for specific groups. Staff highlighted outreach and partnership work with tribal partners and community organizations, including memoranda of understanding under development, and described school-based practices that have shown promise: mentor groups at South Salem High School, community partnerships tied to after-school activities, and pilot initiatives to reduce transportation barriers so students can get to school. “If there was one thing that I think could really shift these outcomes, it would be improving the conditions that make our students want to come to school every single day,” Deputy Superintendent Neves said.
Staff also described the district’s data tools: a school-specific dashboard that shows pass rates in the four core ninth-grade subjects (math, language arts, science and social studies) and lets teachers and counselors identify which students are behind and which credits are missing. Ramirez said schools use the dashboard in ninth-grade data-team meetings to plan timely interventions and to schedule credit recovery without forcing students to retake an entire semester course.
On communication and family engagement, board members and staff said the district uses ParentSquare messages, teacher outreach, and school notifications for Saturday school and other catch-up opportunities. Directors asked whether families receive clearer, earlier signals before middle-to-high-school transition; staff said middle school summer programs and spring cohort handoffs aim to provide warm transitions and to identify students who may need early intervention.
No formal action was taken. Staff said they will continue to review subgroup data, strengthen attendance and targeted supports, and refine reporting formats to include subgroup N sizes alongside percentages so board members and the public can better interpret year-to-year changes.
