Everett district reports gains from preschool-to-3rd-grade work, outlines phase‑2 plans

Anna Arnold, lead presenter for the early‑learning strategic initiative, told the Everett School District Board of Directors on Jan. 21 that the district’s preschool‑to‑3rd‑grade work has increased participation and improved kindergarten readiness and that the next phase will focus on sustaining those gains through K–3 alignment and leadership development.

“This is the data that drives our work,” Arnold said, summarizing follow‑up analysis linking early‑learning benchmarks to 3rd‑grade state test performance. Arnold said students who met benchmarks across six WA‑Kids developmental domains as incoming kindergartners scored at about 85.1% on 3rd‑grade ELA and 84.2% on 3rd‑grade math; conversely, students who met none of the domains scored about 20% and 16.7% respectively.

The presentation stressed that increasing the number of students who enter kindergarten at benchmark is predictive of higher long‑term outcomes. “If we can increase the number of students in Everett Public Schools who come into kindergarten and benchmark in these critical areas, we will also increase the number who are at benchmark in 3rd grade in math and reading,” Arnold said.

What the district has done so far

Arnold listed operational changes from phase‑1 work: converting half‑day ECAP preschool slots to full‑school‑day slots and expanding inclusion/co‑teach classrooms that serve students with IEPs alongside general‑education peers; expanding Play and Learn sessions from two mornings to five, which Arnold said produced a roughly 70% increase in participation; and launching transitional kindergarten, which Arnold said will begin Jan. 29 with 97 students at five schools.

“Transitional kindergarten will launch on January 29th with 97 students in 5 different schools,” Arnold said. She also reported that the district fills about 330 ECAP slots and that most of the phase‑1 items are operationalized.

Principal perspective and data alignment

Jacob Ellsworth, principal at Hawthorne, described attending the National P‑3 Institute with a district team and said the conference changed how he views preschool through third grade. “It was an excellent opportunity for me as an elementary school principal to engage in this work,” Ellsworth said, adding that he now spends more time in preschool classrooms and works to align preschool assessments with kindergarten practice so gains are sustained.

Ellsworth said Hawthorne has seven early‑childhood classrooms of different types and that the school is working to identify other neighborhood early‑childhood providers for partnership and alignment.

Phase‑2 focus and next steps

District staff said phase‑2 will emphasize coherent, standards‑aligned instructional focus for K–2 teachers; job‑embedded professional learning; establishing teacher‑leader networks; and creating a P‑3 leadership team. Arnold said the district will offer a 10‑month P‑3 executive leadership program for principals and assistant principals and will use professional development funds to support participant stipends.

“We are going to train the coaches and facilitators so that we can train our first, second teachers, and then our kindergarten teachers,” Arnold said, describing a train‑the‑trainer approach for letters and early reading work and collaboration with special services to make sure core curriculum access is consistent for students in resource rooms.

Staff also noted continuity tasks such as making preschool assessment data visible to principals so schools can plan instruction based on incoming student readiness and continuing work with facilities to identify permanent early‑learning hub space connected to capital rebuilds.

Why it matters

Presenters framed the work around the developmental window from preschool through third grade and cited research that early gains persist only if K–3 instruction sustains them. Board members and presenters repeatedly emphasized expanded family engagement strategies — including “slow start” kindergarten meetings and home visits in preschool — to improve information flow and early assessment sharing with caregivers.

No formal board action was taken on the initiative at the Jan. 21 meeting; staff presented progress and requested continued support for phase‑2 planning and leadership training.

Ending

Staff said they will continue professional learning by grade level, expand school leadership teams, and plan a P‑3 executive leadership cohort beginning in the coming year. Arnold and Ellsworth said measurement and continued monitoring will guide adjustments to ensure gains reach all student groups.