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Mary Lynn spotlight: students show gains in reading, math and attendance
Summary
Mary Lynn School presenters told the North Santiam School District board that targeted screening, PLCs, new math supports and attendance outreach produced measurable student gains and higher building attendance this school year.
Mary Lynn School staff presented a multi-part spotlight to the North Santiam School District board on April 16, outlining academic and culture gains tied to the district’s Results 2030 goals.
The school said it uses the STAR universal screener in fall, winter and spring, with additional progress monitoring. Staff reported reading growth that moved 82% of students onto track to grow one or more grade levels, up from 67% in the fall. For math, the building’s first-grade cohort rose from roughly 31% proficiency to 64% in winter and later checks as high as 72%, officials said.
Dean of students Kevin Wise described a multi-tiered attendance effort that began with outreach to 29 chronically absent students. The measures included personalized phone calls, postcards, mentoring, weekly attendance displays and monthly classroom awards. Wise highlighted three individual success stories: a fifth grader whose attendance rose from 77% to 88%; a seventh grader who improved from 60.3% to 86%; and a student who rose from about 50% attendance to 98% this year. The school reported overall attendance rising from 90.0% in 2024–25 to 93.16% this year.
“We started making phone calls to families, tried to find out how we can help,” Kevin Wise said, describing outreach and incentives that included monthly prizes and class-level recognition.
Staff also described PLC (professional learning community) work to vertically align standards and create four- to six-week cycles of pre-assessment, targeted instruction and post-assessment. The presenter said PLC teams identify priority standards, design common assessments and use data to inform tiered interventions.
Students and staff showcased programs that support future-ready skills: beginner coding for seventh graders using block-based tools; an Adopt-a-Farmer partnership with KG Farms to expose students to agricultural careers and operations; and band opportunities that led to honor-band placements.
Student presenters demonstrated coding projects and described the Adopt-a-Farmer visit, and staff highlighted volunteers and community partners honored that night for their contributions to school activities.
The school’s presentation closed with staff and board praise for the classroom-level work behind the numbers and continued emphasis on targeted intervention and community partnerships.
