Wenatchee School District presents end-of-year learning data: gains in primary grades, persistent gaps for multilingual learners

Wenatchee School District instructional leaders presented end-of-year reading and math results to the school board on June 24, reporting gains in early grades and continued gaps for multilingual learners.

The data presentation, led by Executive Director of Learning and Teaching Heidi Busk and Director of Learning and Teaching Amber Burks, covered three measures: classroom common formative assessments (CFAs), the I-Ready diagnostic, and preliminary Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) results. Busk noted the SBA spring results are preliminary until the state issues final data in the fall.

Why it matters: Board members pressed for clarity on where district strategies are producing gains and where additional supports are needed. Several board members said the district should aim higher than the statewide average and focus on narrowing the multilingual learner gap.

Highlights from the presentation - Assessment mix: The district uses CFAs for immediate classroom feedback, the I-Ready diagnostic across K–8, and the SBA for a broader summative picture. - Reading: I-Ready results showed 60% of K–2 students at or above grade level, 46% in grades 3–5, and 37% in grades 6–8. The district reported gains in ELA for grades 3–5 and 6–8 when measuring students scoring at SBA level 3 or 4. Busk said the district is “encouraged to see improvement” in grade 10 after a dip the prior year. - Math: The district reported encouraging increases in CFA proficiency in grades 3–5 and steady results in grades 6–8; I-Ready math showed gains in lower grades (49% of K–2 and 43% of 3–5 at or near grade level) and a decline in grades 6–8 (26.7% at or above grade level). - Multilingual learners: Disaggregated SBA data show a persistent performance gap between multilingual learners (ML) and non-ML students both in Wenatchee and statewide. Busk called the gap “a trend we are aware of and actively working to address.” The district reported 90 multilingual learners exited English-language support after demonstrating proficiency on the WIDA assessment this year; the district monitors exited students for three years as state-required.

District strategy and implementation - The presentation described a “tight implementation progression” for instructional practices: a learn-and-practice phase, a refined stage with consistent application, and a habit phase where strategies are embedded systemwide. District leaders said full implementation can take three to four years and pointed to PLCs (professional learning communities) and learning walks as supporting structures. - Board members asked why scores drop from elementary to middle school; district leaders said the recent concentrated focus on K–5 math (math fact fluency and the three-reads routine) is designed to build a stronger foundation as students advance, and planned middle-school-focused professional learning for the coming year should help carry that work forward.

Board reaction and next steps - Several board members praised “bright spots” in primary grades where CFAs and I-Ready show growth and urged the district to scale those practices. Board members also pressed the administration to continue disaggregation of data by grade and school to identify best practices.

Ending: District leaders said the CFAs, I-Ready and SBA together give a clearer picture of where instruction is working and where additional interventions are needed, and outlined next steps to continue implementation of targeted instructional strategies and expand middle-school professional learning.