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Frontier Middle School credits culture and math PLCs for 15% SBA proficiency growth
Summary
Frontier Middle School leaders told the board their culture-building work and math PLC practices contributed to a 15% cohort gain in math SBA proficiency from sixth to eighth grade and a result 1% above the state average for meeting/exceeding standards.
Frontier Middle School principal Ruben Dorrendorf and associate principal Shaima Shaheen presented a Teaching, Learning and Equity update on Feb. 10, telling the Evergreen School District board that a sustained focus on culture, collective efficacy and data-driven math instruction have produced measurable gains.
Shaheen described "Pride of the Pack" two-day lessons that build shared school expectations and daily routines, along with a math PLC process that uses interim assessment questions as warm-ups and exit tickets to inform instruction. She said Frontier's cohort data showed a 15% growth in students achieving proficiency on the math SBA from sixth to eighth grade, and that the eighth-grade cohort outperformed the state average by 1 percentage point in meeting and exceeding standards.
Administrators said teachers share ownership of learning across three years of middle school, plan for "540 days" of instruction, and incorporate interim assessment data to calibrate instruction. Dr. Fox said the district will feature another middle-school presentation at the Feb. 24 meeting focused on multilingual learners.
Why it matters: The Frontier presentation highlighted practices (intentional culture-building, grade-level coherence and interim-assessment use) the district can scale. Board members asked about sharing materials and the TLE newsletter; administrators said presentation materials and graphics are distributed in the TLE newsletter and can be shared with other principals.
What happens next: The district will share materials via the TLE newsletter and spotlight another middle school at the next TLE meeting.
Source: Teaching, Learning and Equity update, Evergreen School District board (Feb. 10, 2026).
