Orting School District reports mixed results on student perseverance, growth mindset and attendance

Orting School District officials on Tuesday presented districtwide social‑emotional and attendance measures that district leaders said they will use to guide targeted support for students.

Superintendent Hatzenbeaver and district staff told the board the Panorama screener results show a majority of elementary students report perseverance but that growth‑mindset scores are lower. The district also reported attendance patterns that administrators called a concern, particularly at the high school.

The Panorama self‑report measure for grades 3–5 showed 56 percent of students reporting positive results on perseverance; grades 6–12 showed 54 percent, the presentation said. Growth‑mindset responses were lower: 48 percent for grades 3–5 and 38 percent for grades 6–12, according to the slides the district presented. The administration said those figures are drawn from a national Panorama dataset and represent students’ self‑reported attitudes.

“Perseverance is when something bad happens — can you keep going through it?” the presenter said, distinguishing perseverance from growth mindset and explaining why both measures matter for student success. District staff told the board they are attaching lessons and goal‑setting activities to Panorama results so the survey drives classroom and counseling work rather than standing alone.

The board also heard attendance figures for the first semester. The presentation noted the threshold commonly used for chronic absenteeism (about 18 days a year, two more absences per month over a nine‑month school year) and showed that 65.3 percent of district students missed two or fewer days in the first semester. The schools’ breakdown in the presentation showed Orting High School at 57.6 percent and Orting Middle School and elementary schools in the high‑60s. The presenter said high school attendance is often lower statewide and cited student agency, connection and course relevancy as drivers the district is addressing.

District leaders described how counselors and principals are using Panorama open‑ended responses — what staff called “street data” — to run targeted small‑group interventions. The presentation included verbatim student comments compiled from Panorama responses that staff grouped into themes, including requests for more patience and clearer instruction from teachers. Superintendent Hatzenbeaver and other staff credited school counselors with running targeted groups that aim to raise students’ self‑efficacy and sense of belonging.

The board asked about illness and the effect of seasonal flu on attendance. A staff member said the district can disaggregate absences by excused versus unexcused reasons to better reflect illness‑driven absences, and noted the broader attendance trends the district is trying to address are not explained solely by sickness.

Why it matters: District leaders said the combined measures — social‑emotional survey responses, attendance and on‑track credit measures — give them a toolset to identify students needing supports earlier, and to measure progress over time. Board members asked for continued school‑level reporting and for evidence the interventions are reaching students.

The district indicated it will present school‑level action plans and that board work sessions later in the year will include reports from schools showing how Panorama results and attendance work are being used in classrooms and counseling practice.