REPORTS TO THE BOARD

Columbia Elementary Report

To: Asha C. Riley, Superintendent

From: Michael Z. Green, Interim Principal

Date: June 5, 2025

Regarding: Columbia Elementary School Update

School Improvement Focus

The Columbia team has been relentless in their efforts to improve outcomes for kids this year, and they have data to demonstrate the impact of those efforts!

In the fall of 2024, Columbia presented their School Improvement Plan wherein they set as our #1 Goal: “By June 2025, students reaching proficiency in reading in English will increase from 51% to 65% as measured by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS).”

This was an aggressive goal, and (drum roll please) we blew past 65%!  71% of children were at or above the proficiency Benchmark!!!

Here is a summary of that data!

Our #2 Goal:” By June 2025, students reaching proficiency in math will increase from 40% to 55% as measured by Acadience Math.” 

Like our reading goal, this math goal was aggressive, and we exceeded this goal as well! 
With 57% of students meeting or exceeding benchmark proficiency!  A growth of about 14% points.

Here are the results:

Our #3 Goal: “By June 2025, student attendance will increase from 75% to 85%, as measured by attendance reports generated by Skyward and OSPI,” was not met. (sad trombone sound).

One note of correction on the SIP Goal:  the note states “(These percentages are based on students who missed more than 10 days of school during the 2023-24 school year)”.  It should read, “(The data on which this goal was developed was 10% of the days of the school year.)”  This aligns with the state’s Washington School Improvement Framework metric under ESSA.

Through April, student attendance tracked fairly closely with the data from 2023-2024, then, in April, when we had so much illness among students that more than half of all students at Columbia missed two or more days of school.  The month of May saw a recovery in attendance numbers, but in the end, our cumulative attendance data has gone in the wrong direction.

Here is the data:

* As of June 3, 2025

Recognition

Having been at Columbia Elementary since May 1, I have had the pleasurable opportunity to be part of so many positive things for children.  This school team is singularly focused on the growth and well-being of students.  The vast majority of Columbia’s team are deserving of acknowledgement and recognition for their tireless commitment to kids.  This month, I think it is important to acknowledge our “Alphabet Soup Team” (MLE, LAP, SpEd, DSP, SLP, PT/OT, Psych, etc., aka the Special Services Team).  They are the team who deals with things like IEPs, FOCs, FBAs, MDTs, etc.

Katie Webb (SLP), Sarah Taylor (LAP), Chloe Simmons(MLE), Rebekah Sauvola (Psych), Michele Ridout (SpEd Resource Room), Patty Morgan (SpEd Preschool), Adrianne Madler (OT), Shelby Linnemeyer (SLP), Amyra Black (SpEd DSP), Kerri Six (nurse) and the many paraprofessionals who support these programs: DSP-Alyssa Anderson, Cindy Elliott, Rosalee Logan, Sabrina Melton,  Jessica Robison, Pam Stanley, Renee Wolf & Tracy Wachter. SpEd Resource-Kirsten Barnett, Ashley Budzenski, Tina Foster, Stephanie Friend, Faith Trewhella & Jeff Wray, and Alyssa Littleman.  MLE-Collette Calvillo. LAP- Kathi Netland, Cindy Riggs, Jessica Sheehan. SpEd Preschool-Kathleen Bottemiller and Shannon Tracy, Nursing- Veronica Vitale

This amazing team supports our kids who need additional support to meet the learning standards.  They work together with classroom teachers to make magic happen for each and every child at Columbia.

Upcoming Events

In the waning days of the school year we have many of the traditional end-of-year activities such as field day, awards assemblies, etc. Following the board meeting we are careening to the end of the school year and preparing for principal elect Jen Havig to take the reigns of Columbia Elementary.    

As we enter the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, Columbia, for the second year in a row, will begin the school year with individual parent/student/Teacher conferences rather than the traditional “drop-in/drop-off” event. Teachers found that these conferences had a meaningful impact on their connections with families and students. This coming fall, Kindergartners at both Columbia and North Fork will begin with a “soft-start”. All Kinder class placements will be tentative.  Teachers will welcome half of their learners at a time for the first two days of school and make adjustments in the first week that will allow for well-balanced classes and equitable learning opportunities for all Columbia kindergarteners.

Roll Kits!