Yakima School District highlights common assessments and 'questioning' practice to sharpen instruction
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Summary
District leaders described a system of common end‑of‑unit assessments, principal cohorts and five core instructional practices—focusing on questioning and discussion techniques—to drive timely interventions and build instructional coherence across schools.
Jamie Lee, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, presented the district’s work to create consistent assessment design and stronger instructional practices across Yakima schools.
Lee described the development of common end‑of‑unit math assessments aligned to guaranteed standards so school leaders can compare data and plan targeted interventions. "Having common data from these assessments across our system allows educators at all levels to engage in deep analysis, action planning, and instructional practice sharing," Lee said.
The presentation outlined five interconnected core practices aligned with teacher evaluation and described principal cohorts and monthly collaboration time as key mechanisms for scaling improvements. Lee emphasized one practice in particular—questioning and discussion techniques—highlighting strategies such as think‑pair‑share and the "10‑2" principle (about ten minutes of teacher input followed by two minutes for student processing).
Board members praised the change in instructional approach but pressed for evidence tying these practices to improved summative outcomes. Staff and other presenters said some schools with strong data systems are already seeing positive formative results, while acknowledging that districtwide summative measures have largely plateaued in recent years. The district said it is using multiple data points (including STAR data) and expects to report progress as the work matures.
No formal action was taken; staff offered to answer follow‑up questions and continue reporting on outcomes of the instructional coherence work.