Lakeview staff report strong gains on state report card, highlight PBIS and PLC work

Lakeview Principal Laura Shanahan and math instructional coach Courtney Peterson told the Muskego-Norway School District Board of Education on March 24 that Lakeview’s recent achievement data show marked improvement since the COVID years and that the school’s PBIS and professional learning community work are central to that progress.

The presentation summarized a seven-year view of the state report card and noted a current composite report-card score of 91.6. Shanahan and Peterson credited consistent curriculum implementation, weekly teacher collaboration, and targeted small-group instruction for gains in both reading and math. The staff reported a nine-point increase in third- and fourth-grade reading proficiency and strong performance in math after adoption of a new math curriculum during the 2023–24 school year.

Shanahan said teachers meet twice weekly in subject-based professional learning communities (one morning for literacy and one for mathematics) to answer four guiding questions about student learning and next instructional steps; she described those PLCs as the core of classroom alignment and intervention work. The presentation listed concrete practices used to support growth: data trackers on standards, unit assessments with cover sheets to communicate progress to families, use of interim screeners and targeted intervention groupings, and coach–teacher partnerships.

On behavior and school climate, Lakeview staff showed a six-year decline in major and minor behavior referrals and described tiered PBIS work including schoolwide expectations, a bus-assigned-seat program, guest-teacher accountability reports, monthly tier-2 meetings to design mentorships and lunch groups, and celebration systems such as Golden Awards. Staff said these measures aim to keep classrooms managing most student needs while the student services team addresses higher-level interventions.

Board members praised staff for the gains. Board member Brett (first name recorded in the minutes) asked about PLC grouping practices and was told student groups are fluid and formed from daily exit-slip data. A board member who identified herself as Laurie noted that Lakeview’s jump after the COVID year was notable and commended new principal Shanahan and the teaching staff for sustaining improvement.

The school listed enrollment as “just shy of 300” students and reported a high student survey score that “learning is important in my school” (4.78 out of 5). Staff also noted ongoing goals: further alignment of interventionists and classroom instruction, better use of data platforms (NextPath and SuccessMaker), and continued focus on tier-1 instruction fidelity.

The presentation closed with board appreciation and an offer of continued district support for the school’s initiatives.