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Superintendent says Shelton leads state in early‑literacy growth, outlines priorities ahead of levy vote
Summary
Superintendent Jesse told the board the district has made notable gains in early-literacy and student supports, highlighted three high schools and academy programs, and said the district still faces middle‑grade and special‑education challenges while pursuing strategies to increase graduation and attendance.
Superintendent Jesse delivered the Shelton School District's State of the District, telling the board that early‑literacy growth since the COVID years put the district among the state leaders on Smarter Balanced assessments.
Jesse summarized long‑term investments — including a prior bond that funded facilities — and cited the district’s academies model, Cedar High School and MET Academy as platforms for project‑based and cross‑content learning. He said third‑grade reading and writing proficiency rose substantially in recent years and that the district is focused on moving more students into grade‑level reading so they transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." "We're number 1 in the state for early literacy growth," he said.
The superintendent discussed a mix of positive trends and continuing challenges. He noted steady gains in ninth‑grade on‑track measures tied to Freshman Academy supports, cited increased attendance in recent years while acknowledging chronic absence remains a problem for some students, and described a proactive approach to behavior that emphasizes coaching and prevention rather than only suspensions. Jesse also outlined internship and employer partnerships — more than 100 internships last year and county placements — and described Shelton Promise tuition support that increased the number of local students enrolling at Evergreen State from three to 53 in the referenced period.
Jesse identified middle grades and outcomes for some students in special education or multilingual services as areas needing further work and emphasized the need for continued investments in professional development, updated instructional materials (notably in math), and targeted interventions. He said the district will continue to use data to adjust interventions, including matching students to appropriately leveled reading materials to accelerate progress.
Board members and student representatives praised the literacy gains and asked for details about how the Smarter Balanced growth metric is calculated. Jesse said the metric is based on year‑to‑year Smart(er) Balanced assessment results and stressed that the district remains focused on sustaining gains and addressing remaining gaps.
The superintendent urged community engagement and noted that many improvements are tied to multi‑year investments and programming that the levy helps sustain.
