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Forest Grove board hears spring benchmark results and plans shift to STAR assessment
Summary
District staff presented spring benchmark results showing strong K–1 growth but lower third-grade English reading benchmarks (51% meeting benchmark). The board was told the district will transition to STAR for literacy K–12 next year and will use this year as a transition to interventions and training.
District leaders reported spring benchmark results to the Forest Grove School District Board on June 23, outlining differences across grades, languages and student subgroups and describing near-term changes in interim assessments.
Assistant Superintendent Arturo Lomeli and elementary coordinator Magda Romero presented elementary literacy, ELD and math benchmarks. They emphasized growth in kindergarten and first grade and highlighted that 51% of third-graders met the English reading benchmark — a focal group for state accountability. Presenters stressed that statewide third-grade English measures undercount dual-language program benefits because the third-grade test is administered only in English while the district serves a substantial share of students in Spanish instruction.
The district’s secondary coordinator reported STAR literacy and MAP math results for grades 7–10 and noted the district’s plan to move to STAR as its primary literacy interim assessment next year (STAR K–12 for literacy; MAP K–12 for math; Flashlight for ELD). Staff said the current year will be used to build interventions and to train teachers on the new tools.
Board members pressed for clarity on differences between Hispanic and English learner categories, opt-out impacts on statewide comparisons, costs and transition grants. Staff said the state provided a modest transition grant (a figure of about $60,000 was referenced in discussion) and that regional purchasing cooperatives may negotiate vendor discounts for districts that opt in.
Directors discussed how to explain results publicly so families and the community understand that dual-language instruction can depress early English-only benchmarks while producing long-term gains; staff noted research indicating multilingual students can exceed peers by 11th grade.
Ending: Staff will continue work on interventions and training, finalize the assessment transition plan for next year, and bring more disaggregated data and action steps to the board.
