West Valley releases winter iReady, Smarter Balanced snapshots showing mixed gains and steady growth

Assistant Superintendent Stacy Drake presented the district’s winter benchmark and state assessment comparison data to the West Valley School District Board on March 25, showing modest year‑over‑year gains in reading and math and pockets of stronger growth at particular campuses.

Drake said the district uses iReady diagnostics for reading and math in grades K–8 and then compares results to Smarter Balanced scores. “This first page we’re looking at is reading by school. The green is on grade level … the red is more than two years behind,” Drake said while walking the board through the packet charts.

The nut graf: the winter iReady snapshot showed that several schools improved from last winter while the district overall performed above state and national norms on Smarter Balanced in 2023–24, meaning West Valley’s aggregate results compared favorably with similar low‑income districts, Yakima County and the statewide averages.

Highlights and context - Summit View: 52% of students on grade level in reading—about five percentage points higher than the previous winter. Drake called that “encouraging.” - Innovation Center: a 17 percentage‑point jump in winter reading scores compared with the prior winter after implementing Read 180 and new math design work; Drake said the denominator used for Innovation Center 7–8 students had been corrected from a prior reporting error. - Growth (mid‑year progress toward end‑of‑year targets): White Hollow showed 37% of students already meeting their end‑of‑year growth goal at midyear; Summit View and the mid‑level campus showed larger mid‑year growth gains compared with last year, including Summit View up 12 percentage points in math diagnostic growth and the mid‑level campus median progress at 100% toward growth goals. - By grade: kindergarten and several elementary grades showed year‑over‑year increases in the percent meeting annual growth goals; third grade reading growth was up 10% over last year, Drake said.

Drake attributed the improvements to instructional strategies, new K–5 ELA curriculum (implemented last year), and “teacher clarity” — teachers setting clear learning targets and success criteria. She cautioned teachers were still in early years of a new K–5 curriculum and that a first‑year dip is common, but said districtwide the dip did not materialize as predicted.

Smarter Balanced comparison District staff worked with Navigator Analytics to compare West Valley’s Smarter Balanced spring 2024 results to districts with similar free‑and‑reduced lunch levels (50–60% low income), Yakima County, ESD 105 and statewide numbers. Drake summarized: in ELA West Valley averaged 56% meeting standard (state 50%); in math West Valley averaged 46% meeting standard (state 40%). Disaggregation showed West Valley’s Hispanic and White student results were higher than the same subgroups in comparison districts, though an achievement gap between Hispanic and White students remained.

Other district indicators Drake reviewed demographic and program statistics in the packet: a gradual rise in Hispanic student enrollment; staff remains predominantly White while the student body is more diverse (students about 51% White and 42% Hispanic); chronic‑absence recovery from COVID lows (noting the district sits below pre‑COVID attendance rates); ninth‑grade on‑track rates (68% for the class of 2024, below the statewide 70–71%); and a 93.2% dual‑credit rate for the class of 2024 (above the state’s 77.8%). Drake also noted FAFSA completion has plateaued at about 54% for recent graduating classes.

Questions and next steps Board members asked about incentives and celebrations for teachers, and Drake described building‑level data meetings, instructional coaching, and informal recognition (high fives and visits to classrooms). On attendance, staff linked initiatives to strategic plan Goal 1 (culture of safety and belonging) and described family communication and early‑day engagement strategies to reduce chronic absence.

Ending Drake told the board the full packet is available online and the district would continue reviewing spring diagnostic and Smarter Balanced results as they become available. “We’re very pleased with the impact of our strategies,” she said, while noting continued work on equity and supporting students behind grade level.