Westside Middle tells county LSIC it is narrowing academic gaps, cutting suspensions and expanding student supports

Westside Middle School leaders told the Kanawha County Schools Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) on an evening meeting that a package of staff-led committees, targeted interventions and student supports has produced measurable improvements in benchmark results and discipline rates, but attendance and fundraising for an eighth-grade trip remain challenges.

The school’s interim principal, Candace Steele, said the school serves about 308 students and that 104 are identified for special education. “We have approximately 308 students, and of those students, 104 of them are special ed,” Steele said, and she noted 26 of 32 teachers are fully certified and the school serves a large economically disadvantaged population.

The LSIC presentation focused on three broad areas: academic interventions and data cycles; student supports and restorative practices; and attendance and family engagement. Those efforts, school staff said, have coincided with benchmark gains, a roughly 53 percent drop in discipline referrals over three years and fewer out-of-school suspension days.

Curriculum assistant director Mr. Lemaster summarized benchmark results the school has tracked. He said benchmark 1 math began the year with “88…