Sumner School District reports testing, attendance and graduation gains while flagging discipline disparities

SUMNER — At a Sumner School District board meeting (date not specified), district staff delivered an update on the “Future Ready” strategic plan, reporting district-wide improvements on multiple academic and engagement measures and identifying gaps the district plans to address.

District staff said the Sumner School District ranked 11th out of 247 districts in a SchoolDigger metric the presentation cited, and reported increases in elementary and middle-school assessment performance and steady improvements in attendance and on-time graduation. The presentation also highlighted ongoing concerns about disproportionality in discipline incidents for particular student groups and noted several next steps the district plans to pursue.

The update framed progress around the plan’s five aspirational goals: success in the early years, nurtured/engaged/empowered students, college- and career-readiness, equitable access and elimination of disparities, and graduating prepared students. Staff described the district’s monitoring process, said the plan is being extended with additional benchmarks, and emphasized continuous improvement rather than a fixed time limit for the plan.

On assessment results, staff walked the board through Smarter Balanced (SBA) data as shared by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The presentation summarized state-level figures and showed the district’s disaggregated results: when the state’s counts include students who did not test (scored as zeros), the presentation said the state passing rate (level 2 or above) for English language arts was 70.9% and mathematics 63.3%; when zeros were removed state ELA changed to 70.4% and math to 66.0%, illustrating staff’s point that non-testing affects reported rates. The district reported notable elementary gains, including third-grade math improvements linked to a new Eureka curriculum and lesson-study work.

Staff also described patterns in opt-outs and absences: the presentation noted that opt-out/absence rates grow by grade and that tenth grade showed relatively large non-test rates (staff cited roughly 9–10% non-testing in some tenth-grade math and ELA measures), which the district said significantly affects high-school-level reported results.

Attendance and school climate were presented as improving overall. The presentation said elementary and middle-school attendance rates have inched up, while high-school attendance remained flat; staff described school-based attendance teams, mentorship expansion and climate initiatives (for example, positive greetings and advisory/mentoring programs) as next steps. The district’s mentoring program was reported to include more than 200 students last year.

On equitable outcomes and discipline, staff presented incident‑rate risk ratios by subgroup. The presentation reported the following 2025 risk ratios (incident rate for the subgroup divided by the district comparison rate): American Indian/Alaska Native 1.5; Black/African American 1.83; Multiracial 1.33. By programmatic subgroup, staff reported special education at 2.79, free-and-reduced-price-lunch (low income) at 3.51 and McKinney‑Vento (students experiencing homelessness) at 3.76. Staff said these ratios are computed using the number of incidents (not unique students), and they noted that small subgroup populations can strongly affect ratios for some groups.

District leaders described a multipronged response to disproportionality: continued implementation of restorative practices, expansion of tiered systems of support (MTSS), targeted tier‑2 and tier‑3 interventions, and increased family engagement to identify barriers to attendance and behavior. The presentation also noted the district had applied for and received a grant to expand supports (tutoring and social‑emotional learning) for students experiencing homelessness.

The update covered access to advanced coursework: staff said 2,080 students in the district were enrolled in at least one advanced class or specialized program (the district counts a student once even if they take multiple such classes). Graduation results were highlighted: staff reported a 4‑year on‑time graduation rate of 93.4% and said a portion of students finish in a fifth year or through alternate pathways. Presenters emphasized continuing K–12 efforts to identify and support students well before high school to sustain or increase graduation rates.

Board members and staff also discussed operational items raised during the meeting’s board discussion. Staff said the district is collecting bids and reviewing options for second‑floor evacuation tools (evacuation chairs, racks or mattresses) to ensure safe evacuation for people with mobility needs. Trustees raised a nonbinding suggestion to coordinate World Kindness Day activities at the district’s early learning center on Nov. 13 (the meeting date was not specified) and to align any board participation with existing school events.

No motions or formal votes were recorded during the strategic‑plan presentation portion of the meeting; the board did not take formal action at the meeting on the strategic plan update. Staff identified several action directions for implementation: continue math curriculum and professional learning expansion, expand tutoring/mentoring for underserved students, deepen restorative practices and MTSS fidelity, pursue grant‑funded supports for homeless students, and procure appropriate evacuation equipment for buildings with second‑floor spaces.

The district packet and slides cited OSPI scorebreaks and the Smarter Balanced Assessment as the basis for several charts; staff repeatedly emphasized the district’s continuous monitoring process and that benchmarks may be extended while the plan remains active.