Orting Elementary reports midyear reading gains and drop in playground referrals

Orting Elementary staff reported midyear improvements in student reading and classroom behavior during a presentation to school leaders and community members. Teachers said schoolwide i-Ready diagnostic results rose from about 37% meeting grade-level standards in the fall to 56% in the winter, and they described instructional changes and interventions they say produced gains.

"We grew across the entire six priority standards," said Jacqueline Musakis, a fifth-grade teacher, presenting the winter diagnostic graphs and noting a 19-percentage-point jump in students scoring at grade level. Teachers linked those gains to clearer learning progressions, frequent pre- and mid-unit checks and targeted small-group work.

The fifth-grade team described using complex literature (The Westing Game) and scaffolded tasks to push students toward…