Summit Public Schools report class of 2024 outcomes and WIDA ACCESS results

Summit Public School District officials reported on student outcomes and English‑learner assessment results at the board's August meeting.

Laura Kaplan, director of school counseling, presented the district's class of 2024 outcome report, saying, “For the class of 2024, we had 286 graduates.” Kaplan told the board that 94 percent of that class are pursuing two‑ or four‑year higher education and that 87.8 percent are attending four‑year colleges, an increase from the prior year. She said the overall college‑going rate is the highest in several years and that subgroup outcomes showed gains for low‑income and first‑generation students.

Kaplan described application and admission trends, including an increase in early‑decision use: “This year, we had 117 early decision applications,” she said, adding that 69 early‑decision acceptances produced a 59 percent acceptance yield for those applicants. Kaplan also summarized geographic and institutional patterns, noting students matriculated across 31 states plus Washington, D.C., and internationally.

Student Personnel Services doctor Crystal Marr explained the WIDA ACCESS assessment for multilingual learners, describing its 1–6 scoring scale and the district’s exit threshold: “The assessment is given on a 6 point scale, and students are required to get a 4.5 to exit the program,” she said. Marr reported that 28 students — about 16 percent of those enrolled in the ELL program for 2023–24 — met exit criteria and that students are monitored for two years after exit.

Board members heard subgroup breakdowns Kaplan said are pulled from registration data and from a required senior survey used to capture post‑graduation plans. Kaplan and Marr highlighted supports such as in‑district college counseling, partnerships with community organizations, and targeted resources for multilingual and low‑income students.

The report framed the results in the context of national admissions shifts — including wider use of test‑optional policies and increased use of supplemental materials by selective colleges — and previewed continued attention to balanced application strategies for students.

The board did not take any formal action on the outcome report; the presentations were informational and filed as part of the public record.