Goals set as Dec. 15 deadline set

The Shoreline School Board Dec. 8 formally adopted a set of goals designed to increase student success as mandated by the state earlier this year.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools across the country must meet annually increasing state standards of achievement in reading and math for fourth, seventh and tenth graders, as measured by the annual Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) exams. In addition, strategies to increase student attendance through eighth grade and graduation rates also must be decided on.

Districts in Washington state have until Dec. 15 to formally adopt such goals that will help them meet those standards.

Some measures through which the Shoreline School District plans to meet those goals are currently being implemented within the district.

The first includes an initiative on reading at the secondary level.

According to Linda Gohlke, district director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, the initiative is an intervention strategy aimed at secondary students who are not meeting state standards on the reading portion of the WASL. Implemented in eighth grade classrooms at Einstein and Kellogg middle schools this week, ‘Read 180’ guarantees a significant increase in reading ability, Gohlke said. The district also has budgeted to add several positions for reading specialists in an effort to further assist the program at those schools.

In addition, Gohlke added, the district recently purchased a new math program for special education students and increased professional development opportunities for teachers in that position. And, a position that was previously 0.3 of a full-time equivalent (FTE) position was recently expanded to a full time position to further the learning assistance and English language learners programs.

With last year’s WASL results for special education and English language learners not up to state standards, the district identified that area as needing attention, Gohlke explained.

The consequences, as outlined by the state, of not meeting adequate yearly progress goals were already apparent after last year’s WASL scores were released in September. Even though students in the Shoreline School District made significant gains on the WASL, the district, along with 400 others in the state, was listed as “failing” because not all groups of students, including ELL and special education groups, met the same state standards on the test.

And under the new law, schools that remain on the list for two years must provide additional teacher training, create district improvement plans and offer to transfer students to other schools in the district – changes that can be costly when budgetary belts are already tight.

But the challenges set before the district under the new education law right now have inspired a more clear alignment of curriculum throughout the district and will inevitably benefit the district overall, officials said.

“I think we have capabilities now that are far beyond what we’ve had in the past as far as tracking student progress,” Gohlke said. “We are very hopeful.”