[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6487001,"mediaKeyId","5477852-05d7de81811b13076657ccbb9ea3ae81","parentId",5477852,"title","WESD reports year-over-year gains in K–8 diagnostics; district highlights tier‑1 instruction and small-group strategies","audioSeconds",4209,"startMs",3808000,"endMs",8017000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5477852-05d7de81811b13076657ccbb9ea3ae81&start=3808&end=8017","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5477852-05d7de81811b13076657ccbb9ea3ae81/thumbnail_3808000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6487001/Arizona/WESD-reports-year-over-year-gains-in-K8-diagnostics-district-highlights-tier1-instruction-and-small-group-strategies","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6487001-f81590f642e57a0d211794c9935d9f98/orig.mp4?Expires=1770992579&Signature=j-plsMooJLhSzRIlOPigxmzmp-qCraeLm8f~gpYTSr~zed0IPWxOaH1GSwX-F9cj1ubiMmgffAIaYkJosNzEEdFQyitCVzQ6Mykzp95YGMSO5kitXe5O7KYaBbYME4UPQ4Etb3JT4bIsTeJDG2iX71ERUXMdqVJCpKM0ydcNjYjBaBUI0CoKJQftaCs8A99R75p-Zi7CJHLHg4XLDT8RVuHcukjitbEyenAEMmjmJgjpX7frpwXacR0yocZsHstWTTrXlm0cWkoRcqKCAvJwvSa4OgpCoH~lc4n7mvicE-rvSZm-BHomaWJkALwN-oG1aYxUBYPRZz9e6X~yh50vWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washington Elementary School District","date","2025-07-25T04:15:02.9Z","article","District curriculum staff presented the Washington Elementary School District Governing Board with a summary of 2024–25 benchmark and diagnostic results on July 24, reporting measurable gains across multiple grades and renewed emphasis on tier‑1 instruction, targeted small-group interventions and use of personalized learning tools.

Paula McCarter, director of curriculum and instruction, led the presentation with content specialists Karen Creel (math), Lauren Schragel (language arts and social studies) and Joan Rolfes (ELA). The presenters reviewed K–3 curriculum‑based measures and Renaissance STAR diagnostics, Benchmark Advance interim results in primary grades, McGraw Hill StudySync benchmarks in middle school and i‑Ready math diagnostics.

Key results presented by McCarter and her staff included:
- Kindergarten: a 12 percentage‑point increase in the share of students at or above grade level on the cited measures compared with the prior year; STAR early‑literacy benchmark percent‑correct improved 35% from beginning to end of year. McCarter said kindergarten growth is aided by small‑group and intensive foundational work in early grades.
- Grades 1–3: steady movement of students out of \"urgent intervention\" categories and into higher performance bands; grade‑level interim performance gains ranged from mid‑teens to 35% depending on grade and measure.
- Grades 4–6 (ELA): several grades reached or exceeded a median student growth percentile (SGP) of 50; fifth grade reached a 50 SGP median.
- Middle school ELA (grades 7–8): seventh grade SGP exceeded 55; district reported double‑digit percentage gains on benchmark items for some cohorts.
- Math (districtwide): fall‑to‑spring comparisons showed the proportion of students in green (on/above grade level) rising and the proportion in the lowest categories declining. Districtwide math placement moved from roughly 10% green at fall to 39% green at spring in one displayed chart; year‑to‑year end‑of‑year math green increased from 33% to 38% (a 5 percentage‑point gain). McCarter noted the district is in its second year of a new math adoption and said results are improving year over year.
- Growth measures: median typical growth across the district was reported as 108% (median child in the middle of the distribution), and 27% of students met their i‑Ready stretch growth goal for the year. The presentation emphasized that consecutive years of stretch growth materially increase the probability that a student will reach grade‑level proficiency.

McCarter summarized instructional priorities to continue progress: strong, accessible tier‑1 classroom instruction for every student; planned and monitored small‑group interventions; use of personalized online instruction with teacher oversight; and classroom practices that foster \"productive struggle\" and purposeful questioning. \"We really focus on that tier 1 instruction,\" McCarter said. She also showed how students who met stretch growth in two consecutive years were far more likely to be at or above grade level.

Board members asked substantive questions during and after the presentation. Board member Tamilia Gosa Chapa raised concerns about the presentation's accessibility to the public and asked how student voice and perceptions of classroom pressure were being addressed; McCarter and Dr. Hightower said the district encourages classroom cultures that celebrate learning from mistakes and that school‑level teams should continue to collect student feedback. Peterson suggested splitting large data presentations across meetings so board members and the public can process the material.

The presentation included program names and measures used in reporting: Renaissance STAR and STAR Early Literacy, Benchmark Advance interims, McGraw Hill StudySync benchmarks, and i‑Ready diagnostics. McCarter said administrators and instructional coaches are already working with principals on targeted action plans, and staff will return with more school‑level detail when the governing board sets district goals.

Ending: District staff framed the data as evidence of early and continuing improvement while acknowledging uneven results across grades and subgroups. The board asked staff to provide more disaggregated and school‑level data and to show the impact of specific interventions on student groups such as long‑term English learners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular Governing Board Meeting - Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 6:15 p.m.","oneSentenceSummary","District curriculum staff presented end-of-year K–8 assessment results showing gains in foundational reading and math diagnostics, median student growth above a year in several grades, and recommendations emphasizing tier‑1 instruction, targeted small groups and personalized learning platforms.","taxTitle","Washington Elementary School District (4260), School Districts, Arizona","taxId",12983,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6487006,"Washington Elementary board rejects teacher-on-special-assignment job description",2694,1115000,3809000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5477852-05d7de81811b13076657ccbb9ea3ae81&start=1115&end=3809","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5477852-05d7de81811b13076657ccbb9ea3ae81/thumbnail_1115000.jpg","/articles/6487006/Arizona/Washington-Elementary-board-rejects-teacher-on-special-assignment-job-description","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6487006-fe2002bdf285305d30cf499f381d740e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770992579&Signature=Cz0D5RJF~pUQVUyR3f-EArA4OqNlN70KKRpq2MrlzsjGHHawTijMQxpoqet589jMW-5fc~yTXVghUYiFikUpNxitCX~3~yIJoxeMsm84116kWKa~CGNnnzhM73fU2zPaqmrujrv2eznETPgMG6M6yE2bnSaOd5Yz8u9wUn80HXuHk~t17fiNw5l1js-uWSGw~7ID8W~vLvHP49mQSf4OFsLEXylNp9Up0lnouDqZa6XNg~sjVRFfBtXXOQA72YNwxLCgTh0MJlN~rv-xRL4OiFM4RuX4XTmNv0Petsm~xQ5IJTgNY-ts8c7gKr1adsZK74DxYUdUP5kcPHUFy3jnbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Washington Elementary School District Governing Board voted July 24 to reject a proposed job description to create a \"teacher on special assignment\" (TOSA) position intended to give the district more flexibility to reassign teachers across campuses.

Board Vice President Lindsey Peterson moved to not approve the job description, and the motion passed after discussion and a roll-call vote recorded as in favor. The board earlier pulled the item from the consent agenda for separate consideration.

Supporters in district administration, including Doctor Stewart in human resources and Interim Superintendent Doctor Hightower, said the TOSA title would provide a tool to keep educators on campus while filling short-term gaps, such as extended leaves or imbalanced enrollment, and to avoid hiring outside substitutes. Doctor Stewart said the TOSA could allow a teacher to \"work with small groups within on their campus\" or serve as a long-term substitute without leaving the hiring district to bring in an outside person. He said the district had 69 candidates from recent job fairs and that vacancies were down compared with the prior year.

Opponents, led by Vice President Peterson and echoed by other board members, said the description would shift too much discretion to district administrators and could lead to teachers being moved into assignments outside their grade-level preferences or comfort areas. Peterson characterized the proposal as giving \"every ounce of flexibility to the district to make decisions and to place teachers where they feel like is best,\" and said it risked driving teachers to leave. Board member Tamilia Gosa Chapa repeatedly asked how the role would benefit students and sought guarantees that teachers who were leveled would remain on their original campus as substitutes or team teachers.

Doctor Stewart and Doctor Hightower described existing leveling practices: the district compares class sizes at the start of the year, and if a campus has multiple small classes it may consolidate and reassign staff—principals and district staff first solicit volunteers; if none volunteer, a principal may select a teacher, subject to district guardrails (for example, bridge teachers must remain on campus). Doctor Stewart said last year the district had 35 classes that \"could have been leveled\" but only 7 teachers were moved to comparable classrooms; the other classes remained intentionally small.

Board members asked for specifics on protections and process. Doctor Stewart said the district's first priority would be to keep a leveled teacher on their campus and that any out-of-campus assignment would consider teacher voice and recent legal guidance. The board requested language be added to the job description to expressly prioritize keeping leveled teachers on their campus as substitutes or to support small-group instruction; Doctor Hightower said staff could include that language.

After extended discussion about teacher retention, class-size practices and whether the TOSA would primarily benefit students or primarily give the district staffing flexibility, Peterson moved to reject the job description. The motion carried. The board then proceeded to the next agenda item.

Ending: The vote leaves the proposed TOSA job description unchanged; district staff said they will continue to refine staffing tools and practices, and board members asked staff to return with any revised language or additional guardrails that would better protect teachers and clarify student benefits.","After a lengthy public discussion about teacher placement, work conditions and student impact, the Washington Elementary School District governing board voted to not approve a proposed \"teacher on special assignment\" job description.","actionData","errors"]

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WESD reports year-over-year gains in K–8 diagnostics; district highlights tier‑1 instruction and small-group strategies

Washington Elementary board rejects teacher-on-special-assignment job description