This Student Academic and Well-being Recovery Plan has been developed in response to two laws, one federal and one state, that connect planning for academic and student well-being recovery to eligibility to receive Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds. The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has developed the template on which this plan has been developed. The template allows us to respond to the requirements of both the state and federal law in a single plan.
Federal Law Requirements
The Federal Law, The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, requires each school district to develop a “Safe Return to In-Person Instruction Plan.” The ESSER funds must be used to address academic recovery and acceleration (the Federal Law uses the term “learning loss”). The law states:
“An LEA [school district] that receives ARP ESSER funds must, within 30 days of receiving the funds, make publicly available on its website a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services. Before making the plan publicly available, the LEA must seek public comment on the plan.”
OSPI has determined that school board approval of the plan meets the federal requirement for seeking public comment, as it involves public posting and provides an opportunity for public comment. Following approval, the District must post the plan on the District’s website, making it accessible for those with disabilities and those in the community whose language is one other than English.
Washington State Law Requirements
The LEA [School District] Academic and Student Well-being Recovery Plan (House Bill 1368; Sec. 12 [2021]) requires school districts to submit an Academic and Student Well-being Recovery Plan to OSPI by June 1, 2021, “to address student needs resulting from school building closures and extended time in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” The law requires OSPI to develop the template for the LEA Academic and Student Well-being Recovery Plan and a process for LEAs to report progress on implementing their plans. In addition, the legislature gave OSPI the ability to add additional elements identified by OSPI that are based on evidence of positive learning and well-being outcomes.OSPI has elected to add three additional requirements of LEAs:
OSPI will review and either approve the submitted plan or request additional information from the LEA. Approval of the plan is required before ESSER III funds will be released for LEA use.
Elements of the Plan
Districts must address the following elements in their Academic and Student Well-being Recovery Plan, using the OSPI-provided template:
Universal Supports
Woodland Public Schools is committed to closing the gaps in student learning and student well-being with universal supports that serve all students.
We serve a great diversity of students in the Woodland Public Schools. We have extremely intellectually, physically, or artistically gifted students and students who have significant cognitive, behavioral, and physical disabilities. We serve children who come from homes of relative affluence, and we serve children who are experiencing living with homelessness. We serve children whose first language is English, and we serve children who enter school speaking no English. Our goal is to serve and support them all.
The needs of children are diverse and complex. Woodland Public Schools, like many school districts across our nation, has developed a number of different programs that are intended to serve and support the complex needs of each child with the ultimate goal of preparing them for career, life, and college. We use an organizing framework called Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, or MTSS.Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a comprehensive framework used to provide targeted support for all learners. It is rooted in supporting the “whole child,” whether an advanced or struggling learner, through academic, behavioral, social, and emotional services. The supports also extend to services such as improving chronic absenteeism and developing rigorous learning plans for high achievers.MTSS includes researched-based principles and practices that increase the effectiveness of instruction for all students. The MTSS framework uses universal screening data to develop appropriate student interventions. Additionally, data is analyzed at the school, network, and district level to clarify system-wide shifts that will sustain student growth over time.Multi-Tiered System of Support is a schoolwide approach to student support. Teachers, counselors, psychologists, and other specialists work as a team to assess and address student needs.
Academic Interventions and Supports
Title 1 Programs
Well-Being Interventions and Supports
9-12
K-12
Data-Based Decision Making
MTSS focuses on collecting universal screening data, reviewing state test scores, administering diagnostics, progress monitoring, and using teacher observations to inform decisions about tiered support placement.
Diagnostic assessment is a particular type of formative assessment intended to help educators identify students’ specific knowledge, skills, and understanding in order to build on each student’s strengths and specific needs. Because of their domain specificity and design, diagnostic assessments can guide curriculum planning in more specific ways than most summative assessments. Below is a table identifying the diagnostic assessments predominantly used in each grade level.
Academic Diagnostic Tools:
5-8
Classroom Based Formative AssessmentsGradesEnd of unit SMC assessments PASS Plus ToolWCAS and SBA (Note-WCAS and SBA were suspended the spring of 2021)
External diagnostic tool in core academic areas:Woodland School District currently uses the iReady suite of assessments on a quarterly basis to evaluate student achievement in grades K-8. iReady assessments are available for students in grade 9-12 but are not currently in use at Woodland High School. On June 17th, 2021, a workgroup will convene to evaluate lessons learned from the 2020-2021 school year. One of the questions to be considered is the possible implementation of an external assessment like iReady at WHS. It is expected that our standing “Emerging Questions” group will take this question in earnest starting in August of 2021. It is expected that Woodland High School will initiate the use of external assessment tools like iReady sometime in the spring of 2022.
Well-Being Diagnostic Tools:
Student and Family Voice Woodland School District is including student and family voices in this plan in the following ways:
Additionally, since student and parent participation and input is highly valued, some of our communication systems include:
Strategic Support for Students Based on Woodland School District’s review of equity analysis and student diagnostic assessment results, some student groups need additional time, support, and/or extracurricular activities for academic growth and/or student well being.
We have “data teams” comprised of teachers, administrators, counselors/social workers, and instructional coaches. These data teams compile and study state assessment data as well as reading intervention data and classroom based assessment data to identify students who have the highest need of academic support. We then serve these students with additional time in our multi-tiered systems of support including our Learning Assistance Program (kindergarten through 4th grade), Title 1 targeted Instruction (5th through 8th grade), and our Positive Academic Support System “PASS” program (9th through 12th grade).
Strategic Support for Identified GroupsWoodland School District individualized education for students preschool through age 21 with Written Student Learning Plans for students in our alternative learning experience schools, Individual Education Programs for students who qualify with disabilities that impact their educational growth, and 504 plans for students who need accommodations to participate in school.
In addition to core and reading interventions, we have implemented a tiered approach to language acquisition in our English Language Learner (ELL) program. Students with English as a second language receive accommodations and assistance with their general, core classwork and they are assessed at language levels as Emerging, Progressing and Proficient. Most of our “Emerging” ELL students have been in the US for less than a year. They are working on becoming bilingual. These students are provided accommodations, like translated documents, books and the ability to communicate using Google Translate. Many of our “Progressing” ELL students have attended Woodland schools for a few years. Our ELL department works collaboratively with general education teachers to plan and make goals and accommodations for students to achieve academic success. ELL paraprofessionals join general education classes to assist students that have the most need and provide accommodations for students.
Summer School
Other specific strategies/interventions implemented to support student groups we have identified in our equity analysis and student diagnostic assessment results include:
K-4 -- Learning Assistance Program instructional materials
5-8 -- Title 1 targeted assistance instructional materials
K-12 -- Alternative Learning Experience Schools
School Supports for Strategies/Interventions
K-4Any students who fall into the intensive category in reading are receiving interventions. Each student’s progress is monitored twice per month, data is reviewed, and changes to the intervention are made if a student isn't showing growth. Kindergarten through fourth grade students will get extra learning time to practice and build reading skills during our intervention program. The program takes place during each grade level’s extension block. The extension block is forty five minutes of extra learning time in addition to the core instruction Tuesday through Friday where students have the opportunity to participate in small group instruction. Teachers use our newly adopted researched based curriculum that is fully aligned to state standards to improve student learning. All services provided in LAP are supplemental to the core instruction of the classroom teacher and based on evidence of student performance. Teachers also participate in weekly collaborative professional learning time to discuss student growth goals and interventions. Woodland supports all learners with engaging rigorous curriculum aligned to standards, as well as assessment tools to measure and report student growth.
At North Fork Elementary School, there is a hybrid of supporting students during their English Language Arts core instruction and in extension block to give focused English Language Development. In their ELA block, students scaffold strategies in order to help students reach their ELA and English Language Proficiency goals. Instruction during extension incorporates the language based curriculum, Imagine Learning, an innovative language and literacy software program for ELLs. Imagine Learning assesses every student in order to address their specific needs. Within the framework of Imagine Learning students get small-group instruction, one-on-one intervention and a lab rotation. It increases their knowledge of vocabulary, comprehension, and prepares them for the 21st century by increasing students' computer literacy skills.
Our approach consists of creating instruction based on Washington’s English Language Proficiency Standards. The ELL program collaborates and coaches Columbia Elementary School and North Fork Elementary School teachers on ELL strategies for the classroom. Our program offers Homework Club to give students extra support. We bridge the gap between our program and the regular classroom by reinforcing similar skills and topics of instruction. The ELL program's goal is to provide the needed language support for our students to successfully function in both social and academic settings.
5-8After gathering data from SBA, Acadience, iReady, previous interventions and teacher recommendation, a data analysis team consisting of the Title coordinator, administration and counselors analyze and work with the rank order data to determine highest need of academic support in the areas of ELA and Math according to triangulation of data on the rank order data sheet. By working with the rank order spreadsheet, the data collected provides an accurate and thorough view of our students and their needs.
The data team placed students into reading intervention and double block ELA and math classes based on the data analysis of the rank order data. When new students enroll, the data team considers information/data received from the student’s previous school as well as doing an initial Acadience Reading test. Some students also take placement tests according to the programs we are using in reading intervention classes. If a student’s data indicates they would benefit from reading intervention classes, their schedule will be designed to include this support.
The data analysis team partners with ELA, Math and Science teachers just before the semester change and reevaluates student placement based on current assessments. The reading intervention teachers, title coordinator and/or parents initiate conversations around whether a student is ready to graduate reading intervention at the semester break.
WMS typically uses the following data points: SBA (grades 5-8), iReady (grades 5-8), Acadience (grades 5-6) and teacher recommendation. So far this year, upon return to hybrid, we gave the Acadience assessment to all 5th & 6th grade students in March 2021. We also plan to give the iReady assessment this spring to all students Grade 5-8. Looking at the Acadience Data from last school year (Winter 2020) to this year (March 2021), there is a significant drop in achievement in both grades 5/6. However, as we followed the cohort data from 2020 5th grade to 2021 6th grade, there is actually a higher percentage of students scoring at benchmark and a higher range of students scoring “intensive”. These data points show that our strategic and intensive students were hit the hardest with learning loss during Covid.
In addition to core and reading interventions, we have implemented a tiered approach to language acquisition in our ELL program. During our hybrid model, we had over 30 ELL students attending small groups 2-3 days a week. Students received accommodations and assistance with their CORE classwork. This intervention allowed some students the ability to stay caught up on their classwork and receive help.
While returning full time, we have five periods of ELL. The classes are leveled by language levels, "Emerging, Progressing and Proficient" and academic levels.
All students needed additional support as a result of the Covid impacts. However, our trends pointed to students who struggled before Covid continue to struggle and the gap has widened for some. A few key targeted groups include:
We also utilize check in programs to target both students at-risk behaviorally or tied to attendance:
As noted above, Woodland High School does not currently make use of external assessments other than SBAC as mandated by Washington State. As a result of the pandemic-induced closure in the spring of 2020, SBAC data are not available from last year. As a result, grades and attendance data are the best available proxies for student achievement in this context.
The graph below shows the ratio of the number of individuals in each student group who have generated 1 or more failing grades compared to the proportion of the total enrollment represented by that student group. A value of 1.0 on the graph therefore represents an F rate that is exactly in proportion to the size of that student group. That value is labelled by a red line called “Baseline”. Under this analysis, it’s apparent that Hispanic students and students who are eligible for free lunches earn a disproportionate number of failing grades.
The next graph shows a similar analysis using the total number of absences recorded. Again it is evident that Hispanic students and students eligible for free lunches record a disproportionate number of absences. In this case, however, those two groups swap places. Students who are eligible for free lunches are absent somewhat more disproportionately than Hispanic students.
The final graph examines the differences between Hispanic students and students who are eligible for free lunches more closely. Students who are eligible for free lunches are absent and earn failing grades in about the same proportions, suggesting that academic achievement is strongly driven by attendance for that student group. However, while Hispanic students record absences in a somewhat lower proportion, they earn failing grades in a higher proportion. This result suggests that, while attendance is a problem for Hispanic students, other barriers exacerbate the problem of student achievement.
Woodland Public Schools