Ridgeview principal credits PLCs, inclusion changes for gains among students with disabilities

Christopher Whitehurst, principal of Ridgeview Elementary, told the Yakima School District board on March 2 that targeted professional learning-community work and inclusionary classroom practices are driving measurable gains for students with disabilities. "Our work has been firmly grounded in data-driven decision making and aligned with the district's commitment to the PLC framework," Whitehurst said.

Whitehurst said preliminary Washington School Improvement Framework (WISF) data the district has received show improvement across subgroups after the school adopted a more coherent math instructional model and expanded PLC practices. He said Ridgeview set a specific target: increase the percentage of students with disabilities demonstrating substantial growth to 45 percent. "At the time I took over, students with disabilities were being left behind," Whitehurst said. "This is what it means when we say ‘all means all.'"

Board members praised the reported progress and asked detailed questions about classroom practices and curriculum alignment. Director Rice said she was "encouraged to see the growth" and asked Whitehurst to describe what PLCs do at Ridgeview. Whitehurst replied that the school has run a consistent PLC process for about five years and recently added a "15-day challenge" that structures unit plans, embeds sample Smarter Balanced items and focuses staff conversations on data-driven instructional decisions.

Whitehurst also described schedule and master-schedule changes that allow self-contained special-education teachers to plan alongside grade-level teams and ensure students in self-contained settings still participate in recess, lunch and specialist classes alongside peers. He said those structural adjustments, along with targeted interventions, have narrowed performance gaps in early grades and positioned older cohorts for improvement.

Whitehurst outlined engagement efforts with families, saying the school is reconstituting its PTO and has increased turnout at family nights this year. "This year, we're back," he said, noting parents and community volunteers are increasingly involved.

The board and Whitehurst agreed to follow up with additional data requests. Whitehurst said the district uses state-aligned sample items and interim assessments so that students are familiar with assessment formats throughout the year, not only at the end.

The board broke for a 10–15 minute site tour immediately after the report. The site presentation and follow-up questions concluded without formal action; the board later moved to an executive session to evaluate a public employee.