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Pacific Ridge reports reading gains, leaders urge continued investment to shore up math
Summary
Pacific Ridge school reported 81% of third graders hit the STAR reading benchmark after targeted ELA investments and coaching; presenters said math remains a priority under a second-year rollout of a new curriculum and I-Ready diagnostics.
Pacific Ridge staff presented academic progress Oct. 21, citing reading gains tied to investments in core curriculum, targeted interventions and teacher professional development. Julie told the board that "81% of our third grade students, which was 97, all of them took the star reading test and we're at 81%." She and colleagues attributed gains to core ELA materials (Wonders), WIN intervention blocks and Marzano-aligned coaching for teachers and instructional assistants.
The presentation noted the district has prioritized teacher effectiveness as the top in-class factor. Board members and school leaders said the district saw strong returns from earlier reading investments but must sustain attention to math, where the district is in year two of a new curriculum. Staff described use of I-Ready diagnostics and the MyPath individualized lessons to identify gaps and provide targeted practice; Julie said the tool appears more closely aligned to the state test and will be used with small-group interventions and fluency work for grades 2–5.
Presenters also reviewed student demographics, special education and English learner counts and tied the academic work to broader goals in the district strategic plan. The board commended staff for the reading results and requested detail on specific investments and their costs so trustees can weigh resource allocations going forward.
