Vancouver School District details high-school progress monitoring, interim assessment rollout

Vancouver School District staff told the school board during a Jan. 28 study session that the district is rolling out interim assessment blocks (IABs) for grades 9–12 and is using those results, together with professional learning, MTSS tiered supports and CTE pathway tracking, to monitor progress toward the district’s “vision of a graduate.”

The presentation focused on how teacher-led professional learning communities (PLCs) and new interim assessments are intended to provide timely, standards-aligned data that teachers can use quickly to adjust instruction and supports for students.

District leaders said the IABs were selected after teacher and principal feedback that earlier benchmarking tools at the high-school level produced low student engagement and took more instructional time. Executive Director Jim Gray described IABs as “It is merely 1 measure of student learning, but allows us to allow align our assessments directly with standards and among all our high school students.” He and other presenters said the blocks were designed to be completed…