Sandstone Middle School reports rising enrollment, 91% attendance and targeted intervention plans
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Summary
Sandstone Middle School told the Hermiston School District 8 board that enrollment for grades 6–8 rose to 634 (its highest in a decade), attendance averaged 91% last year, and staff outlined MAP Growth/OSAS results and programs—Lunch Bunch, homework club and peer observations—to support students.
Mrs. Brown, representing Sandstone Middle School, told the Hermiston School District 8 board on Nov. 17 that the school's sixth- through eighth-grade enrollment rose from 629 to 634 this week — "the highest number Sandstone had in 10 years." She said staff are celebrating growth while using assessment data to target support.
The presentation focused on fall MAP Growth interim results and last spring's Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) outcomes. School staff cautioned the board that the two data sets reflect different cohorts and are not strictly comparable, but said the MAP Growth bands (red/orange for students needing targeted intervention; yellow indicating national average; green/blue showing on- or above-level performance) help teachers plan instruction. "The red and the orange are going to be our students who we are going to target with instruction support, interventions," one presenter said.
Staff tied classroom strategies to the district's Portrait of a Graduate—communication, collaboration, complex problem solving and character. Teachers described using think-pair-share, CER writing (claim, evidence, reasoning) tasks, choice boards and expanded elective offerings to build those skills. Counselors and administrators outlined interventions such as a before/after-school homework club and small-group "Lunch Bunch" gatherings that have drawn up to about 40–50 students at a time.
On school culture and recognition, presenters said Sandstone runs frequent staff shout-outs and student recognitions; administrators leave positive postcards after classroom walkthroughs. The presentation included a statement of pride in overall attendance: "91% is the overall attendance rate for Sandstone for 6 through 8 all of last year," Mrs. Brown said.
Board members asked whether achievement measures are trending up or down; presenters urged caution in comparing cohorts but said trends vary by grade and subject. District staff also reminded the board that the state is considering interim-assessment approvals and that boards will receive K–12 interim-assessment reviews three times a year if MAP Growth is selected by the State Board of Education.
The presentation closed with staff urging continued PLC collaboration and sharing of successful school-level practices districtwide.