Annual School Performance Report Discovery Elementary School
2019-20
425-837-4100 • www.issaquah.wednet.edu/discovery 2300 228th Avenue SE, Sammamish, WA 98075
Principal Kathy Keegan
Welcome We appreciate Discovery’s families tremendously. They support students and staff members through assistance in classrooms and PTSA involvement. Thank you.
Mission Discovery is a partnership of students, staff members and parents invested in the lifelong learning and rigorous academic achievement of all students.
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: 652
100
94.3%
80 58.7%
60 40
23.8%
20 0
2.3%
0%
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Teacher Experience Data Teacher’s with National Board Certification
7.8
4
Average Years Teaching Experience
Teacher with Master’s/Ph.D
53.3%
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 The Discovery Expansion Project
This year Discovery finished construction on an expansion to improve safety and security and increase permanent capacity to accommodate growing school population. The Discovery Expansion Project includes relocation of the Administration and Special Services spaces, improving office location and security at the building. An additional 6 classrooms, activity space and an expanded Commons to meet growing space needs.
STEM Fair
We are proud to be the first school in Issaquah School District to hold our own STEM fair. Close 500 students in grades K-5 participated. Students demonstrated great pride in explaining their projects to the hundreds of parents and guests that attended.
Technology
Due to the generous support of the Issaquah Schools Foundation and our PTSA, Discovery made progress toward our goal of having one to one computers in grades 3 through 5. We now have one computer for each student available to all fifth graders as well as class sets for check out in grades K-4. We hope to achieve the one to one goal for 3rd and 4th grade within the next year. We are using these to support our STEM Instruction in third through fifth grades. We continued our growth and understanding of integrating STEM instruction throughout the curriculum with support from our building’s STEM and Tech leaders, and training from the district’s STEM specialist. Library Media Specialists continued instruction in digital literacy and citizenship in second through fifth grades. Our new updated digital library allows students to check out a variety of digital books. Every classroom is equipped with computers, projector, document camera, and a Promethean ActivBoard.
Parent and Community Involvement
We are proud of 100% membership in PTSA which supports students’ learning in countless ways. We average about 300 parent volunteers and many VOICE Mentors that include high school students and community members. We are thankful for this strong partnership to help support students’ academics.
Positive Behavior Supports and Emotional Supports (PBSES)
Discovery continues to be a strong PBSES community. We continued to maintain strong supports for all students as well as those needing extra supports. A team of staff members met every other week to support students needing added supports to succeed socially and emotionally in school. Additionally, Tier 2 team members attended a series of trainings to help us make more effective use of data and plan targeted interventions focused on the function of student behaviors. We continued a strong reward system and the entire student body earned three school-wide rewards including board game days and movie in a bag.
Green Team
This last year, Discovery achieved Sustaining Green School status. Level 3 in King County’s Green Schools Program. We came in 2nd place in the annual Waste Free Challenge Competition this year (We won it the two previous years!).
Extraordinary Eagle Awards
This year Discovery introduced Extraordinary Eagle Awards. Each week teachers select one student from their classroom that has demonstrated expected behaviors or gone above being kind, safe, and responsible. Students are recognized in morning announcements, eat lunch with the Principal on the stage, and receive an award written by their teacher explaining why they were selected. This is a highlight of the week for students, families, staff, and especially the Principal!
Student Ambassadors
Discovery is proud of our Student Ambassador Program which began two years ago and has particularly thrived this year. This program provides fifth graders the opportunity to gain leadership skills throughout the school as well as make a real and important contribution to the school program. Student Ambassadors support many such as the following: • • • • • • •
Greet students at buses each morning and monitor sidewalk safety Hoist the flag and take it down each day following proper flag protocol Walk Kindergarten students to the buses and/or Eagle Club Help young students in reading and math Help clean the lunch tables Help in the library Assist bringing in recess equipment after each recess
Students complete applications that require parent permission as well as teacher support. Our school counselor provides training for each job and monitors student activities weekly. It is truly wonderful to observe these students taking their responsibilities so seriously day in and day out.
Improving Student Achievement
This year Discovery began its first year of a three-year School Improvement Plan (SIP) focused on Reading. Wednesday Professional Development sessions were dedicated to close monitoring of student progress in reading, teaching students to write effectively about what they read, and helping students think deeply about text. Reading goals are connected to the English Language Arts SBA assessment. Preliminary 2019 state assessment (Smarter Balanced Assessment) results show the following results:
Discovery Smarter Balanced Assessments: Percent Proficient
Special Programs During the school day
Discovery hosts a special needs pre-school, a Learning Assistance Program for Kindergarten and First graders needing extra support in reading, a K-5th Resource Room, and SAGE, a 3rd-5th grade pull-out gifted program. Science to Go lessons with a science specialist, which includes lessons in our outdoor educational areas (wetlands, grade level gardens, butterfly gardens). Students receive Art classes once per month from a professional art consultant and Art Docent lessons classes by our PTSA sponsored Art Docent program. Green Team promotes recycling and composting throughout the school. Before and After School Enrichment programs were cut back this year because of the lack of space due to the school’s update and remodel project. We did continue Math Club in which numerous students won awards and Green Team. We also have Eagle Club, which is an on-site before and after school day care program and a Fourth and Fifth Grade Choir, led by our music teacher.
School-wide Events
PTSA events included a Fall Fundraiser, Cultural Night, Talent Show, Family Fun Night, Eager Reader, Scripts Spelling Bee, and STEM Fair. The annual Art Walk was not held due to the remodel and construction project, but is on the calendar for the 2019-20 school year.
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.
40
3
t
Gr ad e
Di st r ic
5 Gr ad e
Di st r ic
Gr ad e
Di st r ic
Gr ad e
t
0 4
0 t
20
3
20
92.5%
80.6%
88.1%
78.0%
88.0% 76.3%
Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS)
t ric st Di
5
77.9%
e
0
93.5%
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.
t
82.2%
Di st r ic
74.9%
96.3% 77.9%
5
88.0%
Gr ad e
84.8%
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