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District: attendance remains top barrier, five schools earn state recognition
Summary
Dr. Fox told the board that district school-improvement snapshots show gains in reading and belonging but chronic absenteeism remains the district’s most significant challenge; five Evergreen schools were recognized by the State Board of Education.
Dr. Fox delivered the district’s Teaching, Learning & Equity year-end update, framing school improvement plans (SIPs) as living documents used for continuous improvement and highlighting three district priorities: flexibility, alignment and collaboration.
Key findings: Dr. Fox said reading achievement showed the strongest districtwide gains and that many schools reported growth in student belonging and engagement. Math gains were described as smaller and less consistent. Across elementary, middle and high schools, chronic absenteeism remained the most common barrier cited by principals and leadership teams. (TLE update)
Dr. Fox described district practices used this year, including three PDSA cycles (plan-do-study-act), expanded professional learning communities (PLCs), and targeted interventions to support multilingual learners. Several schools used data to refine MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) and reported reductions in discipline referrals and strengthened intervention systems.
State recognition: Dr. Fox announced five Evergreen schools honored by the State Board of Education under the Washington School Recognition Program for categories including closing gaps, achievement and growth; school leaders from Henrietta Lax Health & Bioscience High School, Endeavor Elementary, HCA Home Choice Academy, Harmony Elementary and Furrest Elementary received banners. (TLE update)
Board discussion included whether to shift the SIP update timeline from June to August to ensure Smarter Balanced/ESPA results are incorporated; Dr. Fox recommended moving to August (or later in August) to allow principals to include finalized data and provide more complete numerical reports later in September/October.
No formal board policy change occurred; Dr. Fox was asked to continue refining the timeline and to provide numerical SBA results as they become available.
