PTS Rising Report

Dear PTS families,

As always, the first few weeks of the school year have been a blur, with a flurry of welcome-back events, activities, and all those inevitable growing pains and on-the-fly adjustments that our staff is so good at pulling off. So, as we move closer to a very busy October, I wanted to share some important information with you about recently released state assessment data, upcoming family nights, and a very special surprise honor that rocked Talent Elementary just a few hours ago.

First, I am excited to share that data from the 2025-26 Oregon Statewide Assessments (OSAS) were released this week and the results revealed great news for PTS – our students showed year-over-year improvements in each of the core subjects, including huge gains among a few specific cohorts: Talent Elementary’s 5th grade class improved by 24 percentage points to hit 62.3% proficiency in English language arts, and the school’s ELA rate across all tested grades rose by over nine points; Orchard Hill Elementary’s 4th graders improved their proficiency mark by 20.3 percentage points to 56.1%; and Phoenix Elementary’s 5th graders also saw substantial ELA improvement with a 17.8-point leap. Our ELA success was highlighted by the Oregon Department of Education during a statewide webinar on Tuesday, as the ODE’s Director of Literacy Angelica Cruz noted, “In the Phoenix-Talent School District, students have demonstrated consistent gains in overall ELA achievement over the past three years.”

We still have a long way to go to reach our goals, but these encouraging numbers show that we are on the right track thanks to the systems we have in place and the staff that puts those systems into practice every day. Your students are in good hands, PTS!

Now for some exciting news. This afternoon, one of our incredible educators, Linnaea Funk Morales, a 2nd-grade two-way immersion teacher at TES, was surprised with the Regional Teacher of the Year award by representatives from the ODE and Oregon Lottery during an assembly. Linnaea is one of 17 teachers to earn the award and is now in the running for the top Teacher of the Year award, which goes to one educator in Oregon. Way to go, Linnaea. You make all of PTS proud!

Next, I’d like to remind all our elementary families that your school’s Fall Family Night is less than a week away, on Thursday, October 1, at your school. Our staff is working hard to make those events as special and productive as possible, so we are hoping for a great turnout from our families.

Finally, the Pirate Country Parade, Phoenix High’s homecoming parade, is only a few weeks away (Wednesday, October 14), so please mark your calendars and plan to go, not only to support the Pirates but also to represent your school. It may be my favorite all-PTS event of the year and I can’t wait to see you all there!

Brent Barry

Superintendent, Phoenix-Talent Schools