Phoenix Charter principal tells Roseburg board attendance and graduation metrics lag; earlier report contained data errors

Cori Bernard, principal of Phoenix Charter School, told the Roseburg Public Schools Board of Directors on March 12 that the charter school is struggling with attendance and on-track-to-graduate rates and that a December report she previously presented to the board contained inaccuracies due to the way Synergy data was pulled.

Bernard said the school's ninth-grade on-track rate is 10.52% and that only 19 ninth graders are currently enrolled; two of them had four credits. "The data in December, I don't believe it was accurate," Bernard said, explaining that the December report omitted a Synergy option that includes graduation requirements. "When I compared it with the transcripts, I do know that the report I have now does align directly with transcripts."

The discrepancy matters because Phoenix uses the Synergy reports and STAR 360 (also called STAR 3 60 in materials) and MAP diagnostics to set interventions and predict state-assessment performance. Bernard told the board Phoenix has seen improvement across grade cohorts after transcript-verified reviews: tenth graders' on-track rate rose to 58.82%, eleventh graders to 52.94% and seniors to 51.22%. Ninth graders remain an outlier, she said.

Bernard described steps the school is taking to reengage students and remove barriers to attendance. Those steps include personalized outreach by the safety and wellness lead and pathways teachers, weekly meetings with students who are off-track, referrals to a wellness coordinator for weekly food boxes and clothing needs, and connecting students with workforce programs such as the Oregon Youth Corps that allow students to earn high-school credit while gaining job experience. "I'm making personal calls home to help eliminate barriers that are causing attendance issues," Bernard said.

Bernard also described Phoenix's accommodations for students who are parenting: two students attend general-education classes with their children and are expected to graduate this year; three students are pregnant and plan to continue toward diplomas, she said. She reported five students have earned GEDs so far this school year.

During board questions, Bernard clarified how the district's state-reporting definitions differ from the Synergy active/inactive reports used locally. She said the Oregon state assessment counts students who are actively enrolled as of May 1, while the attendance reports she had been pulling at times had counted different cohorts depending on which Synergy options were selected. "The active and inactive is accounting for every student that has attended Phoenix during that time frame," she said, describing how the school's attendance pulls can return different percentages depending on the parameters chosen.

Bernard told the board she has already proposed operational changes: Phoenix will move to a semester schedule next year aligned with Roseburg High School, will post for an executive director to replace an interim director, and plans graduation for June 10, 2025, at 6 p.m. at Jacoby Auditorium at Umpqua Community College.

Board members and Bernard discussed outreach to other schools for best practices and closer operational alignment with Roseburg School District staff. Bernard said she consults regularly with Superintendent Cordon and district staff and that interim executive director Lori Newton has reached out to similar charter schools.

Board Chair (name on file with district) thanked Bernard for the update. "Thank you very much for coming and giving us an update," the chair said at the conclusion of the presentation.

Looking ahead, Bernard said Phoenix will continue to rely on frequent diagnostic assessments and transcript reviews to set individual plans, with the explicit goal of increasing ninth-grade on-track rates and overall attendance.