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Lewis & Clark highlights PLC-driven math gains and a school 'R & R' behavior space
Summary
Lewis & Clark Middle School told the Yakima School Board that Professional Learning Communities, a new one-page planning tool and targeted behavioral supports helped teachers identify gaps and intervene; administrators said early benchmark math data and tiered behavior strategies show promising early results.
Lewis & Clark Middle School principal Principal Vogelsson told the Yakima School Board on Nov. 5 that the school's Professional Learning Community (PLC) work and new behavior supports are improving instruction and student outcomes.
Vogelsson said the school uses four PLC pillars—mission, vision, values and goals—and is focusing this year on math after a Tiered Fidelity Inventory and benchmark results identified needs. She described how teams used benchmark math data to spot differences between teachers, had an instructional facilitator observe lessons and then provided targeted reteaching and RTI-style interventions; she said an example cohort saw 50 students pass a later benchmark after adjustments.
The principal also described a district-ready Google "one-pager" that consolidates multiple planning documents into a single unit-of-study template. Vogelsson said the document was piloted by the instructional leadership team (ILT), is voluntary for staff, and is being adopted and iterated by teachers who have adapted the tool to local needs.
On student supports, behavior intervention specialist Kate Waters described the school's R & R room as a short-term reset and coaching space where students work on social-emotional and executive-functioning skills. Waters listed seven tier‑2 interventions used at Lewis & Clark, including behavior agreements, check‑and‑connect, check‑in/check‑out and self‑monitoring protocols. She said the school set a target to reduce office discipline referrals by 10% annually and reported meeting that goal last year; Waters also said 12 students transitioned off more intensive supports after meeting agreed behavior goals.
Why it matters: The presentations tied instructional work and behavioral supports to concrete, short-term interventions the school can replicate across teams. Board members and teachers praised the leadership and noted the combination of data (benchmarks) with coaching as central to the changes described.
What the board heard next: Board members asked for clarification on multilingual-learner terminology and on tracking outcomes. Principal Vogelsson said ML (multilingual learners) is the newer label for English-language learners and emphasized ongoing progress monitoring as students transition between grades.
The district did not present long-term, cohort-level outcome tables at the meeting; Vogelsson said the benchmark data are an early indicator and that the school tracks students who have transitioned to high school, with anecdotal follow-up showing continued success for some students who received R & R supports.
The board did not take action on the presentation; it was provided as an informational update.
