Dayton school board meeting

DAYTON—Middle and High School (MS/HS) Principal Kristina Brown has met with her staff to discuss strategies and interventions they can use to help students struggling with failing grades, she told attendees at last week’s school board work session.

During the first semester of the school year, there were 34 middle school students with at least one F grade and 16 middle school students with at least one F.

In the high school, there were 18 students with at least one F and 25 students with at least one D. Students receiving an F must repeat the class if it is a required subject. These results represent an increase in failing grades over the past two years and are “too high,” according to Dayton School District Superintendent Guy Strot.

Truancy can’t be blamed for the situation as only three students were habitually absent in January, Brown told the board. Student attendance has actually improved over the last three years.

The blame for failing grades may only partly be laid at the door of the COVID-19 situation.

“This isn’t just a last semester issue,” she said.

Brown said she is receiving weekly reports from teachers about students with failing grades. Staff in the middle school are checking in with students every day to see if they need extra help.

A paraeducator will work with students outside of the classroom for additional support, and having the Distance Learning teacher help with this is under review.

The District is discussing changing the dismissal time for MS/HS students from 12:30 to 2 p.m. With this change, students may be able to receive extra help during staff preparation time, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Saturday classes and summer school are being considered to help students with credit recovery.

Utilizing the library to help students during lunch is a possibility. Using Title I and Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funds in a more targeted way could also be helpful, said Superintendent Strot, who leads efforts in the elementary school to improve academic performance.

Strot talked about improving scores on the Washington School Improvement Framework index.

The state tracks the scores of student progress using a set of ten metrics. To raise scores, students struggling the most need to do better, he said.

Data from testing in 2018-19 shows a disparity between the scores of lower-income students and more affluent students in terms of growth in math and English Language Arts, he said.

School Board Chair Katie Leid and former Elementary School Principal for the Dayton School District said that issue is not restricted to Dayton schools.

“Every school District has this same problem,” she said.

She pointed to the importance of professional development for staff. There was a significant reduction in failing grades in the secondary school due to a two-year professional development program funded by a grant. Longer-term initiatives to increase all district students’ academic success will be introduced to the board at their meeting in March.

“The mission of the Dayton School District is to promote academic excellence, active citizenship, and provide all students with the opportunity to become productive members of society. The keyword is “all.” We are looking at the data and will continue to do so and make changes and improvements to help all students,” Strot said.

During the school board work meeting last week, Dayton School District MS/HS Principal Kristina Brown and DSD Superintendent Guy Strot, introduced two options for the bell schedule to be used after the dismissal time changes from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. for secondary school students.

In the first option, the high school and middle school students will have lunch at the same time, and in the second option, they will be separated. Strot will recommend Option 1 to the school board at their next meeting on Feb. 17.

Strot will send letters and emails to all secondary school students’ parents once the dismissal time is announced. The information will also be posted on the Dayton School District website and Facebook page.