Officials from South Sound’s largest school districts reflected Friday on this year’s preliminary WASL scores, as well as on how their schools fared in meeting “annual yearly progress” standards under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
BETHEL
Students in Pierce County’s third-largest district posted a mix of gains and slight reversals in WASL reading, writing and math scores.
Fourth-grade reading scores, for example, dipped from just under 73 percent meeting standards a year ago to just over 68 percent this year. The percentage of seventh-graders meeting math standards rose from 39.6 percent last year to 45.4 percent this year.
The Spanaway-based district needs to focus on “systemic improvements to better meet the needs of students who struggle in reading,” spokeswoman Krista Carlson said.
All but three of the district’s 24 schools are on the federal fix-it list this year. That’s 10 more schools than a year ago.
Kris Sherman, The News Tribune
CLOVER PARK
Officials say the Lakewood district has reached an exciting milestone. It topped the state average in two categories: eighth-grade reading and 10th-grade writing.
“It’s the first time we’ve been above the state average,” said Gary Wilson, assistant superintendent for secondary education. “That feels really good.”
The district also showed improvement in fourth- and fifth-grade math, eighth-grade reading and fourth-grade writing.
Overall, Clover Park has “a lot more arrows going up rather than going down” compared to last year, he said.
The number of campuses on the federal “needs improvement” list rose from 9 to 15 this year.
Southgate Elementary is now in Step 5 of the improvement process – the only Lakewood school on the lowest rung – which means it must make serious changes.
Brent Champaco, The News Tribune
FEDERAL WAY
While its overall WASL scores were mixed, the Federal Way School District had bright spots with all reading and math scores above state averages.
Black and special education students made gains in math across the grade spectrum, said Joshua Garcia, executive director for teaching and learning.
In 90 total categories, the district met or exceeded standards in 80 percent, Garcia said.
A total of 14 schools are now in the federal improvement program – just one more than last year. The district as a whole again did not make adequate yearly progress and moved into Step 2 of improvement this year.
Garcia said the district is improving its learning culture by expanding advanced programs, including the Cambridge and international baccalaureate programs. And it is providing teachers coaching and training in the “10 essential elements of high quality instruction.”
Steve Maynard, The News Tribune
PUYALLUP
Students in Pierce County’s second-largest district scored higher than the state average in all grades and subjects, except fourth-grade writing. Based on results released in early June, 99 percent of Puyallup’s Class of 2009 met the reading and writing WASL standards, a requirement to graduate, said Nancy Arnold, director of assessment and accountability.
Reading scores remained fairly consistent across grade levels, except seventh graders declined 5 points. Fifth graders and eighth graders tested at an all-time high in science, with a 7-point jump for the younger students and a 10-point leap for the older students.
“We’re not as successful in mathematics,” said Jay Reifel, assistant superintendent for student learning. “That’s been a consistent gap and it’s an area of concern.”
Reifel said the district is studying new math textbooks and curricula for grades 3, 4 and 5.
Joyce Chen, The News Tribune
FRANKLIN PIERCE
Third- through fifth-graders as a whole met federal AYP goals in reading, a statistic that made the Parkland-based district proud, spokesman Willie Painter said.
A deeper look at different subgroups, however, shows that more reading work must be done among elementary level Hispanic students.
“Another area of concern is the poor performance of third-through fifth-grade black students in math and reading,” Painter said.
Seven of Franklin Pierce’s 13 schools are on the federal “Needs Improvement list for 2009. That’s up by one school – Ford Middle School – over last year.
As a district, Franklin Pierce is going into its second year on the federal watch list. That requires the formulation of a districtwide improvement plan.
The district wants to bring every subgroup up by 10 percentage points a year in reading and math, Superintendent Frank Hewins added. “But it’s much easier to say than it is to do.”
He didn’t downplay results or sugarcoat his message.
“We’re not pleased with the rate and acceleration of improvement,” Hewins said. “It’s a little shower than we would like for as hard as people are working.”
Kris Sherman, The News Tribune
PENINSULA
Students’ scores across the Narrows Bridges didn’t change much from last year. The district saw some of its biggest gains in science, where students in fifth, eighth and 10th grades improved on last year’s marks.
Amy Nelson, the district director of assessment and accountability, said officials were also pleased with sixth- and seventh-grade math scores, as well as high-schoolers doing well on reading and writing.
Still, the district could end up on the federal “Needs Improvement” list next year for the first time. At least one cohort of students at the elementary, middle- and high-school levels didn’t meet the mark this year. According to the state, if that happens again next year, the district will be placed in Step 1 of the improvement program.
The number of individual Peninsula schools that are now on the “Needs Improvement” list is 11, up from four last year.
Brent Champaco, The News Tribune
SUMNER
For the first time, the 8,300-student district in the Puyallup Valley fell into the “improvement” status category under federal law.
Sumner officials must decide how best to go about notifying parents and compiling a plan for overall district improvement.
“We are already working with OSPI to understand the trend data and what it means for our students and our schools,” Superintendent Gil Mendoza said in a statement.
In some cases, Sumner officials are left to shake their heads a bit.
Victor Falls Elementary School in Bonney Lake made OSPI’s prestigious Schools of Distinction list in 2008 and 2009 for its testing gains, but didn’t make adequate yearly progress in either year, said district spokeswoman Ann Cook.
Sumner Middle School “made great, great strides” in a number of categories but couldn’t get over the federal AYP bar, said Susie Lynch, director of research and assessment.
Five more Sumner schools landed on the AYP fix-it list this year. That puts seven of the district’s 13 campuses into “improvement” status.
Kris Sherman, The News Tribune
TACOMA
Students in Washington’s second-largest district showed mixed results in WASL reading, writing and science. Math scores dropped by more than 3 points at the third, fourth, seventh and eighth grade levels, most noticeably in fourth grade, which dipped 8 points.
“Mathematics is clearly an area in which we have lots of work to do,” said Carolyn Treleven, executive director of curriculum and instruction.
High school scores were stable across all subjects, but seventh-grade results suffered across the board in reading, writing and math. Reading fell 10 percentage points to 48 percent.
Pat Cummings, director of research and evaluation, noted that the district has improved its reading scores over the long term.
“There is absolutely no doubt that at all grades, in the area of reading, we have shown steady progression to higher and higher skill sets,” he said.
The number of Tacoma schools on the federal fix-it list went up by half – from 24 to 36 campuses. Seven of those schools have reached Step 5 in the improvement program, which calls for the most severe sanctions. But only three of those schools will get the sanctions, because they receive federal Title 1 funds.
Joyce Chen, The News Tribune
UNIVERSITY PLACE
The district’s WASL scores were comparable to last year’s, with notable improvement in some areas.
One of the biggest was 10th-grade math. Jeff Loupas, UP’s director of mathematics and assessment, credited that to steps taken during the year, such as launching a three-year, $500,000 initiative for staff development. Fifth-grade science scores also jumped.
The number of UP schools now on the federal “Needs Improvement” list is four, double the previous year. The district as a whole will enter Step 1 of the federal improvement program.
Loupas said UP performed well overall, even if its federal status says otherwise. The WASL improvements occurred in different areas, which is good, he said.
Brent Champaco, The News Tribune
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.