Cascade schools introduce 'Next Steps' senior credit, new student supports and revived student paper

Administrators at Cascade School District outlined program and student-support developments during the April 2 board meeting.

At Cascade High School, Principal Mr. Rasmussen described a state-required higher education and career pathway credit the district is calling "Next Steps." The credit will be awarded by proficiency: students complete tasks such as a resume, mock interview, a service project and other standards-based activities and are rated on a rubric from one (does not meet) to four (exceeds). A score of three will earn a pass (P); the credit will not affect GPA and seniors will not walk at graduation until the credit is recorded. Mr. Rasmussen said the district will use late-start days and after-school "twilight" time to allow students to finish required work and that counseling staff will track progress.

Mr. Rasmussen also said the student newspaper "Cougar Lair" has resumed publication after a long hiatus; the fourth edition will appear soon, with printing paid initially by ASB funds and ongoing costs covered by advertising (estimated printing cost about $800 for 1,000 copies through the Albany Democrat-Herald).

At Amsville Elementary, Assistant Principal Ms. Mitchell described family-engagement events (pre-K night, upcoming math and literacy night) and a new "Zen Den" — a supervised de-escalation and regulation space funded by a grant and donations, staffed by administrators and counselors and subject to a usage log for tracking.

Junior high Principal Ms. LaDay reported 200 sixth graders attended outdoor school recently; she said state testing results identified a need to strengthen multiplication fluency and that teams began curricular adjustments this fall to address gaps discovered in testing.

These program updates are expected to roll into next school year planning and the counseling and instructional teams will continue to refine implementation details before fall.