2021-2022 School-Wide Goal:  Using Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 progress reports as baseline – reduce individual course failures by 35% by the end of each semester.

• Quarter 1 individual failures: 652
• Semester 1 Individual failures: 348

*47% Reduction*

• Quarter 3 individual failures: 693
• Semester 2 individual failures: 345

*50% Reduction*

2021-2022 Gap-Closing Goal: Using Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 progress reports as baseline data, reduce individual course failures by 35% by the end of each semester for students served by an IEP.

• Quarter 1 SPED individual failures:  93
• Semester 1 SPED individual failures:  44

*53% Reduction*

• Quarter 3 SPED individual failures:  72
• Semester 2 SPED individual failures: 45

*37% Reduction*

Skyline High School met School Improvement Goals for the 2021-2022 school year – both the school-wide goal and the gap-closing goal were focused on reducing individual course failures. The school-wide goal seeks to reduce all course failures between Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 compared to the end of each semester by 35%. Both semesters saw a reduction of approximately 50% of the quarter failure rate – resulting in close to 350 total individual course failures. While Skyline strives for all students to pass each of their semester courses, 350 individual course failures out of approximately 14,000 individual course grades represent a less than 1% semester failure rate.

Skyline’s gap-closing goal focused on students served with an IEP and reducing individual course failures by 35% for quarter 1 and quarter 3 compared to the end of each semester. Semester 1 saw an over 50% reduction, while Semester 2 saw a 37% reduction.  Case Managers and supervising alpha Assistant Principals took the lead in reducing course failures for students served with an IEP. At times, Pass/Fail Contracts and Letter Grade Contracts were utilized following conversations with teachers regarding these grading pathways which staff may utilize each semester. The grading pathways represent options for teachers when addressing struggling students.

While systematically reducing individual course failures is a manifestation of many successfully implemented systems and procedures, the following represent many of our most effective/high-leverage building practices aimed at reducing failures:

• Zones of Intervention – Following each grading period (i.e., MT1, Q1, MT2, S1, etc.) D/F data is disaggregated and analyzed for the application of consistent building level support. Yellow Level of Support (any student with one F) - Administration sends an email to each teacher they supervise with a list of students who have one F at the grading period, email asks teachers to communicate with students and families about classroom and/or building interventions, and administration will include an email template that teachers could utilize to communicate information to families. Orange Level of Support (any student with 2 F’s) - Divide students between administration and counseling, meet with student and develop academic intervention plan, email families about conversation and academic plan and Graduation Specialist and Dean of Students monitor plan. Red Level of Support (any student with 3 or more F’s) - Counselors will facilitate wraparound meetings (i.e., IEP and/or Guidance Team) to discuss adjustments to academic program.
• Pass/Fail Contracts - Teachers were asked to consider using Pass/Fail as a grading option in a wider range of circumstances and in greater volume. Teachers were provided information on the Pass/Fail agreement process, Pass/Fail Agreement Templates, and Email Templates for communication with students and families. Staff Learning time was dedicated to identifying struggling students, managing the agreements, and communicating with students/families).
• Letter Grade Contracts – Teachers were asked to consider using a Letter Grade Agreement (D) as a grading option in a wider range of circumstances and in greater volume. Teachers were provided information on Letter Grade Agreements, Letter Grade Agreement Templates, and Email Templates for communications with students and families. Staff Learning time was dedicated to identifying struggling students, managing the agreements, and communicating with students/families.
• Flex Time – Academic Intervention Focus (i.e., academic interventions, personalization, retakes/make-ups, tutoring, homework, partner collaboration).
• Grading Flexibility – Staff continue to work with students/families regarding the submission of late work and below-standard work.
• Student Tutoring (ISF & NHS) – ISF Tutoring offers free tutoring provided by Skyline teachers in a variety of subject areas. Students also have the option of using the time to receive individual support, make up missing assignments, re-take assessments and/or complete homework. NHS has been working with teachers that request specific tutor sessions. So far this year, teachers have held specific tutoring sessions for Social Studies, Physics and several Math classes (varying levels). NHS also coordinated peer tutoring for students who requested additional support in a particular course.

The Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF) is provided by the state as part of the OSPI School Report Card to inform and guide school improvement goals and action plans. School SIP teams use additional data sources to inform their planning. Progress toward school improvement in overall achievement and disproportionality is monitored using state and district measures using a common School Improvement Data Dashboard, aligned to the WSIF.

Issaquah School District school improvement data dashboard for high schools.

Describe your SIP team process for studying the SIP data dashboard and other available data and selecting SIP goals.

Skyline’s School Improvement Plan (SIP) Team is comprised of many interested parties within our school community:

• Building Learning Team (BLT) – Roughly 20 staff members who serve various roles around our school (i.e., Department Chairs, Administration, IB Coordinator, Activities Coordinator, Librarian)
• Current SHS Students – ASB Leadership students participated in identifying building supports to reduce failures as well as ways students could contribute to meeting the set goals
• Current SHS Families – PTSA Board members participated in the creation

The interested parties examined SIP Dashboard Data utilizing a data protocol adopted for Multi-Tier Systems of Supports (MTSS) Tier Teams. Team members were able to observe, wonder, infer and action plan for instructional interventions with the students represented in the dashboard data.

Describe your observations regarding overall achievement and disproportionality that informed your SIP goal(s) and actions. Include possible root causes of disproportionality (i.e. if you were to address the causes, it would likely result in a decrease in disproportionality).

When dashboard data was shared, discussions took place using the data protocol steps (prepare, inquire, act). Through these steps, interested parties concluded that reducing individual course failures should remain a priority for our building. Understanding that the reduction of failures does not happen as a result of one program, one support or one intervention – building and classroom research-based strategies will continue to be implemented to achieve our school-wide goals.

In years past, disproportionality goals were created to support students served by an IEP. Through the examination of dashboard data, interested parties chose to focus on improving individual course pass rates for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx students. When gaps exist (i.e., academic failures), Skyline establishes an ongoing process to identify barriers to achievement and specific strategies to implement in order to close the gaps and prevent new ones from emerging.

Borrowing from EL-16:

We believe that each student has the potential to achieve, and it is our responsibility to provide all students the opportunity and support needed to meet their highest capability in a safe and welcoming environment. We acknowledge that systemic and institutional inequities and bias exist, creating barriers for student achievement and well-being. We are committed to raising the achievement of all learners and a culture that promotes the identification and removal of barriers causing predictability and disproportionality of the highest and lowest achieving groups.

Systemic barriers include and are not limited to:

• Current and historical lack of access to resources such as academic supports
• The impact of trauma including trauma related to race and poverty
• Insufficient mitigation and support for academic, social emotional needs
• Gaps created by accessibility to learning during remote and hybrid instruction
• Lack of consistent strategies used across disciplines to address learning difficulties
• Curriculum that lacks multiple perspectives and representation
• Failure to address racial and other biases
• Lack of systemic structures to support diverse learning needs

We know that there continues to be systemic inequities that marginalize some and perpetuate advantages for others in public education, including the Issaquah School District. As a system, we must dismantle inequitable practices/beliefs listed below and rebuild a system that supports equitable outcomes for all students.

As a system, we must start:

• Increasing awareness of how educational institutions perpetuate oppression
• Engaging in deliberate and transformative conversations about race
• Developing measurable practices to disrupt the opportunity gaps
• Elevating all voices by leveraging historically/currently marginalized voices and experiences
• Prioritizing the hiring of diverse staff
• Creating more inclusive environments for staff from diverse backgrounds
• Designing supported pathways for BIPOC candidates to pursue careers in education
• Promoting curriculum that elevates multiple stories and the American reality
• Engaging in deliberate and transformative conversations about race
• Empowering learners with grading and assessment practices
• Designing programing to eliminate racial predictability and marginalization while removing obstacles to success
• Promote PD about race/equity that is purposeful, systemic and ongoing
• Instilling discipline practices that are restorative and include student voice
• Honoring culture, climate, and student voice, in particular minoritized student groups, when making decisions
• Building relationships within the learning environment through deliberate social interactions
• Growing extracurricular opportunities in which all student groups are represented
• Creating opportunities to listen to and engage with historically/currently marginalized families
• Collaborating with community partners to support students and families holistically
• Empowering BIPOC families and leaders to contribute to meaningful organizational decisions
• Developing an equitable and fiscally sustainable spending plan surrounding family and community engagement

We must stop:

• Accepting the notion that educational institutions support all students equally
• Trusting that race has little or no impact on education
• Celebrating the elite and ignoring the practices that perpetuate the opportunity gap
• Elevating majority voices and experiences
• Hiring staff based on “good fit” within the dominant culture
• Marginalizing staff from diverse backgrounds
• Relying on historical recruitment and hiring practices that maintain the status quo
• Perpetuating current systems with barriers to marginalized populations
• Promoting curriculum that maintains a single story of the American Dream
• Assuming instruction meets all needs
• Sorting learners through grading and assessment practices without intentionality through an MTSS system that is research based
• Setting a single program/pathway to success
• Promoting PD about race/equity that is isolated, narrow and static
• Instilling discipline practices that are punitive and ineffective
• Disregarding culture, climate and student voice when making decisions
• Directing student activities and learning without building relationships without including student voice
• Growing extracurricular opportunities based on tradition and mainstream culture
• Communicating expectations to families for parent involvement
• Working in silos that set criteria for families to receive limited support
• Listening to voices that perpetuate status quo
• Prioritizing equal opportunities for families as opposed to equitable opportunities

*These lists were modified from the DuPage Regional Office of Education.

School-Wide Achievement Goal(s)

Using Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 progress reports as baseline – reduce individual course failures by 35% by the end of each semester.

• Semester 1 2022-2023
  • Quarter 1: TBD
  • Semester 1 Goal: TBD
• Semester 2 2022-2023
  • Quarter 2: TBD
  • Semester 2 Goal: TBD

Disproportionality Goal(s)

At each semester grading period, the pass rate for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx students will increase to meet our average school pass rate.

• Semester 1 2022-2023
  • SHS pass rate: TBD
  • Black/African American pass rate: TBD
  • Hispanic/Latinx pass rate: TBD
• Semester 2 2022-2023
  • SHS pass rate: TBD
  • Black/African American pass rate: TBD
  • Hispanic/Latinx pass rate: TBD