Washington Middle School Principal Bill Hilton told the Yakima School District Board of Directors on June 2 that the school has posted upward trends in academic and behavior measures after several targeted interventions this year.

Why it matters: The school reported improvements in state assessment indicators and large declines in disciplinary referrals and suspensions, changes school leaders credit to data-driven instruction, a two‑teacher support model in some classrooms and a multi-tier behavioral response.

“We really look at a multi tier system of supports, supporting our kids…so we know where each kid is and how to get them along to work to meet our mission statement,” Bill Hilton said in presenting charts showing three‑year trends. Hilton told the board Washington Middle is 96% Hispanic and has a 55% English‑language‑learner population.

Hilton described academic initiatives including shared “instructional core practices,” common assessments, content teams and a literacy plan. For students with disabilities, the school piloted an inclusion support model that places an additional teacher in classrooms to push supports to grade‑level content.

Hilton also highlighted behavior changes tied to positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS). “We were at 2,490 referrals and 611 suspensions” a decade ago, a presenter said; the school is now on track to reduce referrals to about 1,100 and suspensions to about 120 this year. Hilton said the school added a behavior specialist and runs intentional, data‑driven tier‑2 meetings.

On attendance, Hilton said the school runs an attendance flowchart that incorporates “what we are required by law to do” and uses home visits, targeted interventions and incentives; he reported 241 students had 95% or higher attendance for the year and about 10 students had perfect attendance.

The board asked few questions. Principal Hilton invited board members to tour the building after the presentation.

Ending: Hilton and school staff framed the improvements as the result of continuous data review, targeted professional development and community supports; no board action was taken during the presentation.