Schools win highest ratings

Sisters High School and Sisters Elementary School received the highest possible grade -- "exceptional" -- on the annual school report cards issued by the state last week.

They were among only four high schools and 91 elementary schools receiving that mark across the state.

Only two other schools in Central Oregon, Amity and Jewell elementary schools in Bend, were included in the elite group.

The 1999 Legislature passed the law making the report cards mandatory. They rate all public schools in Oregon on a four-point scale, descriptive rather than numerical -- exceptional, strong, satisfactory or unacceptable.

The judging is done on the basis of four main factors: the percentage of students participating in annual statewide student testing, average scores on the statewide tests, average attendance and dropout rates, and improvement in test scores and dropout rates over the previous four years.

Principals Tim Comfort at the elementary school and Boyd Keyser at the high school both acknowledged flaws in the report card system, but were nonetheless pleased with the results for their schools.

"When you consider that only four high schools across the state earned an exceptional rating, that's pretty impressive," Keyser said.

The other three were larger schools: Sheldon in Eugene, Lincoln in Portland and Tualatin in the Portland suburbs. "That's great company," Keyser said.

"I tell my staff to savor the day," Comfort said. "This is wonderful, but put it in perspective. I want to commend our students, our staff, our parents, our community. It's a team effort, truly."

This was the first year that either of the Sisters schools had been given an "exceptional" grade. They had been in the "strong" category before. But both principals cautioned against expecting repeat performances indefinitely.

They noted that the state grading system places heavy emphasis on improvement in student test scores. And because Sisters students do so well in average scores compared with their peers around the state, it's difficult if not impossible to register big gains each year.

Keyser speculated that the most important single factor in his school's designation for its 2001-2002 performance was its remarkably low dropout rate. (See story page 3.)

The school places great emphasis on tracking individual progress, catching students in academic trouble and giving them special help before they fall dangerously behind.

In discussing aspects of the test, Comfort noted that his school may not rate as well on attendance when next year's report cards are given.

"I may be wrong but I'm picking up a general sense that our whole country is a little bit more anxious this year. That can be due to a potential war or to economic challenges....Some folks may either be ill or may need more time to regroup as a family."

He indicated that more people are taking winter vacations this year, although that's not unusual in Sisters, where many business people have slack time in the winter. Their busiest time is during the summer when school is out.

"It seems to me informally that there has been a little bit more absenteeism this year because some folks are saying, 'You know, we need to be together' or 'It's important that we do this this year,'" Comfort said.