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Mercer Island High School outlines improvement plan focused on belonging and equity
Summary
High school leaders presented a school-improvement plan targeting adult connections, culturally responsive instruction and credit attainment; staff described three learning cycles and targeted interventions for students receiving IEP and MLL services.
Mercer Island High School leaders presented the school improvement plan (SIP) to the board, framing goals around equity, belonging and measurable academic outcomes. Staff cited disproportionate outcomes for certain groups — specifically some Black/African American students, students receiving MLL (multilingual learner) services, and students with IEPs — and said the 2025–26 SIP will concentrate on adult connections, school enjoyment, and credit attainment.
Presenters described a professional-learning model that narrowed 48 possible instructional strategies to 15 high-leverage practices. Staff are running three learning cycles: teachers choose strategies, practice them, collect feedback and reconvene for reflection. The SIP also incorporates culturally responsive practices, prioritized standards with common rubrics and unit design, and cross-grade work to smooth transitions from middle to high school.
Board members pressed for more detail on declines in 'enjoyment' among students with IEPs and asked how the district measures growth versus achievement. Staff said they will bring further disaggregated data and noted a planned partnership with Seattle University data science graduate students to analyze K–12 alignment and identify blind spots starting in January.
The presenters also described immediate safety- and culture-related interventions that had been added after October events; those were implemented before being formally inserted into the SIP, with follow-up work documented in staff reports.
Attribution: Presentation and Q&A were delivered by the high-school principal, instructional leaders and the school improvement team during an in-person board presentation.
