October 17, 2019 10:45 a.m. 
Officials with Roseburg Public Schools say their efforts to strengthen instructional practices and increase learning opportunities for students are leading to improved academic progress, according to assessment data released by the Oregon Department of Education on Thursday.
The RPS release said Roseburg High School has met top goals in increasing the number of freshman students on track to graduate as well as students completing high school.
The ODE report card data provides a number of progress measures, from math and English achievement levels to graduation rates.
This year, the measure for Grade 3-8 Individual Student Progress moved from “average” to “high” indicating that a greater number of students are making increased academic growth and improvements in English language arts and mathematics, according to the release.
Superintendent Jared Cordon said “this is what we expect to see as we adopt new instructional materials and implement new programs to focus on professional development and leadership opportunities for educators”.
The release said the Grade 3 English language arts measurement hovers near the state average, while Grade 8 mathematics remained above the state average. Cordon said that while both measurements leave much room for improvement, the overall trend in Grade 3-8 Individual Student Progress shows that students are making year-to-year progress.
Roseburg High School saw a five percent increase in the number of freshmen on track to graduate, with the new rate being 90 percent. That is five percentage points above the state average. The five-year completion rate rose from 85 to 87 percent. Several programs have been implemented in recent years to help more students graduate. That includes a summer school program for freshmen, the addition of a graduation coach, a Freshmen Success Team, and the creation of Smaller Learning Communities that focus on freshmen attendance and grades.
Attendance is another major goal at the high school. The average for this year hit 75 percent though Principal Jill Weber said for freshmen and sophomores, that number is above 80 percent.
The release said data shows 59 percent of RHS students are in the “College Going” category, compared to the state average of 62 percent.