Northshore School District reviews early-years access and K–3 literacy, math data

Northshore School District officials presented data on Goal 1 — the district’s early‑years work for preschool through third grade — at a study session, laying out enrollment trends, assessments used to measure reading and math, and strategies the district uses to support young learners.

The presentation included program enrollment counts, an estimate of eligible but unserved preschool‑age children in the district, results from I‑Ready and state SBA testing at grade 3, and descriptions of WA Kids (GOLD) kindergarten readiness checks and Panorama social‑emotional measures. Chief Academic Officer Obadiah Dunham said the session focused on preschool through third grade and the district’s five measures for goal 1, and introduced staff who would present the data: Executive Director Doreen Milburn, Director of Research and Evaluation Craig Foster and Executive Director Amity Butler.

Why it matters: District leaders said the data is meant to inform targeted classroom supports and school‑level plans. Officials and board members repeatedly urged using the beginning‑of‑year to end‑of‑year (pre/post) assessment window to measure growth for specific student groups and to target interventions where subgroups are persistently behind.

Enrollment and access

Executive Director Doreen Milburn summarized early‑childhood enrollment and special‑education counts and said the district is serving fewer students in Ready Start than in recent years while Head Start is fully enrolled. Milburn reported that January counts for students with individualized education programs (IEPs) were 245 in one year, rose to a record 286 in a subsequent January, and have since dropped to 233. She also said the district had about 130 children in the largest…