Lake Washington board approves Results 2 monitoring report, cites reasonable progress and persistent gaps

The Lake Washington School District Board of Directors voted Feb. 10 to approve the district's Results 2 monitoring report on academic content, knowledge and skills, describing overall progress as "reasonable progress with noted exceptions" while calling attention to persistent gaps for some student groups.

Superintendent Holman told the board Results 2 "is presented to you as reasonable progress with noted exceptions," and emphasized that the exceptions represent student groups who are not yet achieving at the same levels as their peers. The board approved the monitoring report by motion, with Director Laliberte moving and Director Joachim seconding; the motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Results 2 is one of three district policies that the board monitors to evaluate academic outcomes across the district. The report synthesizes multiple standardized measures, including Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), FastBridge benchmark assessments, Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) and course grades, and is intended to show systemwide patterns and targeted areas for improvement.

Key findings and context

- Overall standing: District presenters said Lake Washington's performance remains above statewide averages in many measures. Superintendent Holman and staff noted that, by one district chart, 78.4% of Lake Washington students scored at levels 3 or 4 on the English language arts SBA compared with 50.3% statewide.

- Post-COVID cohort trends: Presenters warned that cohort trends since the pandemic show declines across the state and the district, though the district's declines were smaller in several measures. Staff said the state-wide drop after COVID affected all districts, and Lake Washington is recovering but still has work to do.

- Literacy and math focus areas: The report highlighted third-grade literacy as a priority and tied middle- and high-school math gains to a multiyear curriculum and professional-learning effort, including the district's adoption of Illustrative Mathematics and a redesign of middle-school math pathways to increase access to algebra in earlier grades.

- Equity concerns: Staff repeatedly flagged gaps for specific student groups. Presenters drew attention to lower annual trends for students who are Black/African American and for students from low-income households. In one example discussed, fifth-grade math showed strong annual growth for some groups but cohort-level declines that mirror statewide patterns.

- Assessment definitions: Staff noted a recent OSPI clarification that performance level 2 should be described as demonstrating "foundational grade-level knowledge," which changes the interpretation when level 2 is combined with levels 3 and 4 for "at standard" reporting.

What the district is doing

Presenters described a systemwide theory of action linking systematic analysis of student-performance data to evidence-based instructional practices, high-quality instructional resources, targeted professional learning, differentiated student supports and continuous improvement. Specific actions cited included:

- Deeper implementation of the Instructional Playbook and Universal Design for Learning. - Expansion of student growth goals that require teachers and students to assess learning during units rather than only yearlong measures. - Intensive professional learning cohorts (including math-focused cohorts and book-study models) and principal professional learning communities that set concrete next steps after learning walks. - Alignment of elementary and secondary math scope and sequence, and work to scale algebra pathways so more students access algebra by eighth grade. - Use of MTSS coaches, department chairs and teacher leaders to support classroom practice and small-group instruction.

Board discussion

Directors pressed staff on how to interpret cohort declines, on subgroup differences (notably among Black/African American students and students from low-income households), and on how inclusion and grading practices interact with district expectations to assess achievement. Director Yocom, who attended a recent National School Boards Association advocacy event, urged the board to collect and share stories with federal policymakers to complement data reporting.

Action taken

- Motion: Approve the Results 2 monitoring report as presented. - Mover: Director Laliberte. - Second: Director Joachim. - Outcome: Approved (unanimous).

Speakers listed in the record for this discussion included Superintendent Holman; Doctor Rose (report presenter); Director Yocom; Director Laliberte; Director Stewart; Vice President Guthrie; President Choi; Director Joachim; Emily Young (Director of Professional Learning); Tim Krieger (data lead); and Kelly Pease (director).