La Conner Schools work to keep grades up

La Conner School District’s “report card” from the state shows that the high school and middle school received passing grades, but La Conner Elementary School was deemed to be underperforming.

The scores, based on student performance two years ago, were released this week by the Washington Policy Center, which calls itself a non-partisan think tank. Both the middle and high school were rated “good” in the same report.

State reports since 2011 show the state’s rating of the elementary school slowly declining, even though test scores were improving year to year.

The scores were a composite based on results from one test, the state’s Measurement of Student Progress, or MSP, administered in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The old test scored schools on how much the student scores improved from year to year. For example, if a student had a high score two years in a row, but the score didn’t go higher each year, the school’s rating would drop.

That test is no longer in use and has been replaced with something called the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

“Each of our students deserves the chance to be assessed using multiple measures, not just one test at one point in time,” said school district Superintendent Tim Bruce. “I feel as though to get a true picture, you need to look at more than just this.”

Based on the test no longer in use, “it shows that we didn’t make enough significant growth that the index expected or that we wanted,” said Peg Seeling, the La Conner School District’s director of assessment and teaching. “Our test scores were actually up a little in the targeted growth, but just not enough for the rating. This year and every year, we’ve improved.”

Each year, the Policy Center releases letter grades for the 2,212 public schools in Washington based on state test scores in math, reading, writing and science. Scores from all students — low achievers as well as high achievers — are combined to reach the final score. The elementary school’s rating was classified as “Underperforming” with a total score of 2.12.

The La Conner middle and high schools both earned “good” scores of 5.65 and 5.25, respectively.

The policy center’s latest report states that 940 schools — or 42 percent of the total — were rated “fair” or lower for the 2012 – 2013 school year. The ratings are based on figures compiled by the state’s Superintendent Office of Public Instruction.

Seeling explained that the district looks at many different reports and assessments of student growth and test scores.

“This is only one assessment, but it’s one that is made public, and we take it seriously,” she said. “We’ve been doing a lot of things to address it.”

Since the 2012 – 2013 school year, the district has been working hard to bring staff and students up to speed. Efforts include looking at the needs of students and staff, new training programs for La Conner’s teachers that include a three-day online program to improve literacy, and working with Washington’s Teacher of the Year, Katie Brown, to focus on engaging with students.

“There are new tests coming up, and we’re focusing on those new standards in the coming years,” said Seeling.