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Board praises 92% graduation rate and prepares for SB 141 assessment requirements
Summary
Superintendent and teaching staff credited targeted supports and a four‑day week for improved graduation and attendance outcomes; the board heard that SB 141 will require three interim assessments a year (MAP, iReady or STAR), an unfunded mandate the district must budget for.
The Estacada School District board heard a semester‑end academic update on Feb. 11 that highlighted a historic graduation rate and plans to implement new state accountability measures.
Director Wolper noted recent media coverage and cited a 92% graduation rate for the district, prompting applause from board members. Superintendent Ryan Carpenter and Teaching & Learning Director Jennifer Berman attributed the gains to targeted supports, interventions, and work to close gaps for historically underserved students. "One of the things we've already done is significantly close the gap of our historically underserved students," Carpenter said, noting the district ranked first in the state for special‑education graduation rate in the most recent year.
Berman presented semester‑1 achievement data showing fewer students below the district's 80% performance threshold and gains in math and language arts, and she said ninth‑grade on‑track rates rose (slides showed 79% and she later noted the number increased to 81% after incompletes were resolved).
Berman also briefed the board on the state's Educational Accountability Act (SB 141), which will require three interim assessments per year beginning this fall and gives districts a choice among three approved vendors (MAP, iReady and STAR). "This is a requirement that does not come with funding," Berman told the board, noting the district will need to budget for assessments and training and is exploring whether to join a consortium through the ESD or purchase independently.
Board members asked about vendor alignment to SBAC and K–2 coverage; Berman said vendors claim alignment but that the district has questions about alignment documents and will continue vendor discussions. She said the district will provide training for board members once the platform choice is made and emphasized the need to add a budget line for the assessment mandate.
The board also discussed the four‑day instructional week: Carpenter and several board members reported attendance and retention improved after four years on the schedule, and the district uses selective Friday hours for interventions and PLC time.
