Newcastle Elementary 2019-20 Annual School Performance Report

Annual School Performance Report Newcastle Elementary School

2019-20

425-837-5800 • www.issaquah.wednet.edu/newcastle 8400 136th Avenue SE, Newcastle, WA 98059

Principal Tod Wood

Welcome Newcastle Elementary is committed to embrace and support our school community and families, while also connecting to the greater Newcastle community. We foster a Culture of Kindness characterized by respect for each other, high expectations and understanding.

Our School Vision and Mission Our students…

• Build character as caring and responsible citizens.

• Grow as inquisitive, independent and confident learners.

• Acquire problem solving skills and strategies with perseverance and creativity.

• Develop thinking skills and habits applied across content and to real life situations.

To support student growth, our staff designs the school environment and experiences to…

• Integrate peer collaboration and support positive social engagement.

• Guide students as they share the responsibility of their learning.

• Design authentic learning tasks and questions that connect new concepts and skills to the world around them.

• Identify and adjust to each student’s needs to deepen knowledge and thinking skills.

District Report

To review the Issaquah School District 2019-2020 budget details and more, please visit www.issaquah. wednet.edu/district/annual-community-report/.

The Issaquah School District believes in seeking continual feedback from a broad and diverse range of constituents regarding their experiences with the District and their neighborhood schools. See the Community Polling Study site at www.issaquah.wednet.edu/district/polling for more information and survey results.

Data from the Office of the Superintendent of Instruction (OSPI) State testing is required by Washington State (RCW 28A.230.095) and federal law. The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), enacted in 1965, is the nation’s national education law and shows a longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. On December 10, 2015 President Obama reauthorized ESEA as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). These state and federal laws result in elementary students being regularly tested by the State to assess their progress as they move through school. State tests at the elementary level which fulfill the federal Every Student Succeeds Act include the following:

• Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA): English Language Arts (ELA) and Math tests (3-5) • Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS): Science test (5)

Demographic Data

Grades: K-5

•

Enrollment: 557

100

96.5%

80 60 40.6%

40

35.7%

20 0

4.3%

0.2%

/ ian e d n iv n I Nat a ic er kan Am Alas

n

ia As

m nA

er

c Bla

8.6%

0%

es n/ ac iia er a R w d e i Ha Islan Mor an e p r s o tiv fic Hi Na Paci Two r he Ot n

ica

ca fri A k/

10.4%

8.8%

o

n ati L / c

e hit W

eR nc

ate

da

ten At

nd

ea Fre

ch

un dL

e uc

d Re

Teacher Experience Data Teacher’s with National Board Certification

9.5

2

Average Years Teaching Experience

Teacher with Master’s/Ph.D

50.9%

COVID-19 Pandemic In an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Governor Jay Inslee ordered all schools in Washington closed as of March 17, 2020. While the initial order mandated school closures only through April 24, 2020, the order was extended to the end of the 2019-2020 school year due to increasing COVID-19 infection numbers across the state.

The Issaquah School District submitted its plan for remote learning at the end of March 2020, and remote learning began for all students on Monday, April 20. Students and staff moved to an online classroom setting, using various platforms such as SeeSaw, Classlink, and Office 365. District laptops and internet hotspots were distributed to families in need, and free meals were still provided for families qualifying for the Free and Reduced Lunch program at designated pick up spots around the district daily.

Highlights Located in Newcastle Washington, our modern school design includes up-to-date classrooms, a gymnasium, multipurpose room, stage, music room, library, computer lab, kiln room, and an outdoor covered play area. Students learn essential technology skills and use technology within the context of their curricular learning projects. Staff uses research and best practices to guide their teaching. Our district schedule provides students with early release time on Wednesday afternoons which allows staff team collaboration, professional development, and planning time.

Newcastle Elementary enjoys a strong connection with our parents and community. Numerous volunteers assist in our school every day of the week. The PTSA sponsors family events including our Costume Carnival, Literacy Night, and Science Expo, in addition to activities such as the Geography Bee, Popcorn Fridays, and many others.

Improving Student Achievement

Newcastle Elementary supports each and every student in their learning. Staff continually engage in professional development, district training and outside courses to strengthen their skills to support diverse learners. Our School Improvement Plan (SIP) is currently focused on mathematics instruction and social-emotional learning. Our teachers are engaged in professional development and receive instructional support that builds upon and strengthens their depth of understanding and flexibility within their daily math instruction, developing and using instructional tools and assessments that build a common understanding of problem solving and reasoning. These tools are used by students as well to reflect on and build their skills with through engagement in authentic problem-solving tasks, collaboration and mathematical discourse.

Special Programs

Student Council, Green Team, Artist in Residence/Art Docents Program, Literacy Celebration/Read Across America, Grade Level Music Productions (K-5), VOICE Mentors, Science to Go Lessons, P.A.L.S. (Parents and Literacy Support), P.I.E. Night (Parents in Education), Garden Club, Book Fairs, Author Visits, Monthly School Assemblies and Celebrations, SAGE, and Fifth Grade Camp.

Before and After School

Activities available at Newcastle include Lego Robotics, Scratch and Coding Clubs, the Young Rembrants Art Program, Math Olympiad, Girls on the Run, Chorus, Math ASAP, Lion Club (Before and After School-Age Care), and Spanish and Mandarin Language Classes.

State Testing Two tests given to elementary school students—The Smarter Balanced Assessment and the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science help indicate how well Issaquah students are learning.

COVID-19 Disclaimer

Due to early facility closure and suspension of end of year testing, 2019-2020 assessment data is not available. The data below relfects the school’s scores for the 2018-2019 school year.

Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA)

The SBA consists of two parts: a computer adaptive test and a performance task. Writing is included at every grade level and students are asked to solve multi-step, real-world problems in math. Performance tasks ask students to determine an array of research, writing, and problem solving skills. The SBA results describe student achievement (how much students know at the end of the year).

The Grade Level Total ELA and Grade Level Total Math charts on the right-hand side of the page indicate the percent of students in third, fourth, and fifth grade who met or exceeded standard in ELA and Math on the SBA compared to the percent of students who met or exceeded standard in ELA and Math district-wide.

82.0%

82.2%

40

3

t

Gr ad e

Di st r ic

5 e Gr ad

Di st r ic

e Gr ad

Di st r ic

Gr ad e

t

0 4

0 t

20

3

20

83.8%

80.6%

77.7%

78.0%

75.2%

Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS)

st

ric

t

77.9%

Di

5 e

0

75.0%

Gr ad

The WCAS fulfills the federal requirement that students100 be tested in Science once at the elementary level.

The WCAS measures the level of proficiency students 80 have achieved (what students know and can do) based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The WCAS assesses all three dimensions of the 60 learning standards (Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts).

The numbers on the chart represent the percentage of 40 students in grade 5 who met or exceeded standard on the NGSS compared to the percentage of students in 20 grade 5 who met or exceeded standard district-wide.

76.3%

t

77.9%

Di st r ic

72.8%

5

74.9%

Gr ad e

76.7%

t

60

Di st r ic

60

4

80

Gr ad e

80

40

Math

100

t

English Language Arts (ELA)

Di st r ic

100