Snoqualmie Valley board hears data showing post-COVID gains, gaps in science and secondary math

Snoqualmie Valley School District staff presented a districtwide review of state assessments and internal growth measures during the Sept. 25 board meeting, saying the district leads its local consortium in post‑COVID recovery in English language arts and shows steady gains in math while science participation and pockets in secondary math require targeted work.

District Executive Directors Zehr and Heimbinger led the presentation and credited expanded data tools and focused instructional work for the results. "Although we talk about the SBA as being a measure in time, it is our summative measure ... to look at if our kids are achieving those grade level standards," an executive director said. Staff also emphasized the district’s shift toward student growth percentiles (SGP) to track improvement across cohorts rather than only proficiency snapshots.

Why it matters: staff told the board that growth measures remove some equity barriers in interpretation — a student who begins the year below grade level can still show meaningful year‑to‑year growth. The presenters said the district’s SGPs are generally in the 55–60 range, which they described as “high performing,” and several schools reached or exceeded a 65 SGP, a level the presenters called exceptional and difficult to sustain.

Key results and concerns - ELA and math: Staff said the district has the greatest post‑COVID return in ELA among its consortium and is near the top for growth in math. Presenters repeatedly pointed to SGP targets of 55–60 as a district goal, with 65 considered exceptional. - Science: Unlike ELA and math, science testing lacks a growth measure and often assesses standards covered across multiple years, the presentation said. Staff noted that participation falls off at higher grade levels and that high school proficiency among those who opted to test is high, raising questions about selection bias among test takers. - Secondary math: Staff identified local "pockets" of lower secondary math proficiency and SGP, recommending classroom‑level drilldowns to determine whether a particular grade, teacher, or curriculum fidelity issues explain the gaps. - Subgroups and multilingual learners: The presentation said the district’s proficiency for many subgroups is “almost double” the state’s rates in some categories. Staff discussed WIDA exit rates for multilingual learners: 22% of students active in the ML program exited last year, with roughly 6% exiting by meeting state assessment standards. The district reported an average exit timeframe of about 3 years, under the state average cited as 5.3 years.

What staff plan to do: Staff described several follow‑up steps: continued emphasis on MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports), middle‑ and high‑school screeners in ELA and math for the current year, professional development focused on curriculum fidelity, coordinated middle‑school science PD to improve horizontal alignment, and elementary math fluency interventions that target automaticity and foundational skills.

Voices from the meeting: Board members pressed for clarity about what the district tracks beyond SBA scores — classroom assessments, DNFs (drops/no‑failing), AP/PSAT/SAT indicators and other formative data were discussed as complementary evidence. Presenters said much of that work sits in MTSS and building SIP (school improvement plan) conversations.

Ending: District staff described the data as encouraging overall while stressing continued attention to science participation, pockets in secondary math, and long‑term multilingual learners. Board members said they appreciated the depth of the packet and suggested future work sessions to dig into teacher‑ or grade‑level drivers behind the pockets of concern.