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Orting School District reports widespread test gains, attendance and growth strategies
Summary
District leaders presented assessment and growth data showing gains on state assessments and described strategies—core competencies, student agency and attendance interventions—credited with driving improvement.
Dr. Aaron Lee, presenting the district’s strategic goals progress, said schools across the Orting School District showed measurable growth on state assessments and on student-growth measures, and he outlined strategies the district says supported that improvement.
Lee described year-over-year increases in Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) proficiency and “foundational grade-level knowledge,” highlighting double-digit gains in some grade levels (for example, an 18% increase reported for a fifth-grade cohort at Orting Elementary and a 22% ELA increase cited at the high school). Lee also reviewed student-growth-percentile measures and said the district’s ELA growth percentile was slightly above the state median while math was slightly below; he noted that some schools with higher baseline proficiency show lower growth percentiles because of that starting advantage.
Speakers emphasized interventions the district credited with improved outcomes: narrowing and prioritizing core competencies, co-inquiry where students and teachers set goals and track progress, and programs to strengthen student agency and belonging. Lee and other speakers said improving student agency, creating opportunities for activities and strengthening relationships helped drive both attendance and academic gains. The presentation called out progress for groups the district disaggregates: Lee noted that certain schools showed growth among students with disabilities and students experiencing homelessness, and he described attendance-rate and chronic-absence improvements tied to engagement strategies and rewards programs.
The report included attendance framing: the district used a chronic-absence threshold (missing 18 or more days) and said the percentage of students missing fewer than that threshold improved. Board members and staff connected improved attendance to extracurricular activities, school spirit and relational strategies—examples included expanded extracurricular participation at the middle school and incentives such as donuts or recognition for consistent attendance.
Ending: The district said it will present school-level strategic plans at a future meeting, with schools prepared to show what worked, what did not, and plans to deepen progress.
