May 18, 2026 – IMESD

This year, nine schools in the IMESD region put their Freshman On Track data teams to work — and the results speak for themselves. Seven of the nine teams were able to share their work and celebrate their achievements during the final gathering of the year on May 18th at the IMESD. 

At Pendleton High School, disciplined team practices and consistent use of Evidence, Analysis, and Action turned collaboration into results: FOT rates rose and the percentage of freshmen with more than one F dropped by half compared to the prior year. At La Grande High School, a structured teacher-mentoring program paired struggling students with weekly check-ins and recovery plans, lifting their FOT rate from 60% to 88% after the first semester.

Weston McEwen used student survey data to redesign their freshman orientation, creating a ninth-grade-only welcome experience led by Link Leaders — and the population of students who felt prepared for high school nearly doubled. At Elgin, the team tackled family communication head-on by implementing ParentSquare, earning strong satisfaction ratings from parents and shrinking the school's D/F list from three pages to one.

Irrigon responded to persistent ELA failure rates by launching a cross-content literacy initiative built around aligned writing rubrics and shared expectations. Baker addressed grade inconsistency by piloting common late work and retake policies across core classes, cutting ninth graders' share of all F grades from 58% to 34%. And at Ione Community School, a student portfolio system turned FOT data into a tool for self-reflection — by year's end, the freshman class had earned all but 0.5 of their collectively attempted credits. Check out Ione’s FOT progress video to learn more about their portfolio system:

Together, these teams prove that when adults collaborate around data with purpose and structure, more ninth graders feel known, supported, and on a path to graduation.