Washington HS scores low in academic profile

WASHINGTON — An annual report from the Department of Education shows the Washington school district fell behind the state average on a number of academic metrics in the 2023-2024 school year, including graduation rates and proficiency scores in math, language arts and science.

The issue is most pronounced at Washington High School, where an achievement index shows the overall student body performing about 1% worse than the state average, but 11% worse for English learners, and 18.65% worse for students with disabilities, compared to each demographic’s average level. The results leave the high school with a “priority” rating, the second-worst score possible on the report’s accountability index.

But while the numbers paint a grim picture of worsening academic performance since the year prior, school officials say they don’t tell the whole story.

Metrics don’t match last year’s

For one thing, the state’s academic profile indexes have changed since last year’s report. While the 2022-23 school year was evaluated using about 11 indicators, 2023-24 had just six, according to district Special Ed Director Adam Miller.

The newer indicators don’t include participation scores, average school achievement levels, a “conditions of learning” score, or graduation rates. Attendance-related metrics were added to the index.

School administrators said the data can still be useful and will guide future improvements, but stressed that the two years’ scores aren’t apples to apples. While Washington may appear to score worse on this year’s profile than the last one, High School Principal Ed Rathjen said other metrics suggested things were still headed the right direction.

“One of those sets of data is our aREADING and aMATH, those tests are given three times a year … and the growth is looking very good,” he said. “Yes, we’re still behind in proficiency, but overall the growth is looking very good … everything we’re looking at now tell us we are doing the right things, we just need to continue the process until we get students proficient where we want them to be.”

A few metrics showed success stories in Washington. The high school’s chronic absenteeism rate dropped significantly from the 22/23 school year to 23/24, according to the performance profile: falling from 34% to just under 30%, with more improvements already evident in the current academic year.

The building continues to outperform most others in Iowa on its post-secondary readiness index, which measures students’ preparedness for life after graduation. Iowa’s average on that measure was 25.47 points. Washington’s was more than double, at 52.68

Some plans in motion to improve performance

While the data isn’t as damning as it may seem, WHS does have a few causes for concern. The high school’s students lagged behind average on proficiency scores for science, language arts, and math, and their growth rates in the latter two subjects were slower than the state average.

While chronic absenteeism is improving, Washington’s share of students who miss over 10% of their classes is still more than the state average. The four-year graduation rate for all students is 81.45%, compared to the statewide 87.46%.

Rathjen said the school expected success from its growing focus on multitiered systems of support. The school’s also allocated 30 minutes every day to “Demon Time,” a period for students to catch up in classes where they’re falling behind. Rathjen said the approach helped pave the way for academic support across the student body.

Washington High School has also stepped up its use of “high-impact strategies,” which Rathjen described as data-backed efforts to apply similar subject matter across different curriculum, and made a push to give students dedicated time for goal-setting.

For students with disabilities, or who are still learning English, WHS opened its “WINN Center” this year, acronym for “What I Need Now.” The space serves as a testing area for students who need accommodations can get them, through a dedicated paraeducator. While students could get testing accommodations before, they all went through a special-education teacher whose time traded off with work providing others with specialized instruction.

“We’re getting more kids into the classroom, we’re building more relationships, which drops major referrals, we’re getting more kids passing a class,” Rathjen said. “There’s a substantial number of things we are doing, that we are working on to get those numbers up.”

Data on IEP students is misleading

One demographic of students measured by the state is those with disabilities, referred to in data as “IEP” students, referencing the “Individualized Education Plans,” that outline their needs in special education, drafted by schools and families.

Washington High School’s school performance profile appears to show the subgroup of students underperforming, compared to their peers in other districts. At WHS, students with IEPs scored 37.5 fewer points than the statewide average for the demographic, in a 100-point achievement index.

Special Ed Director Adam Miller attributed much of the drop to success stories of students who recently ended their Individualized Education Plans, who now test along with the majority of their fellow students.

“We actually exited 20 students last year from special education to general education. That’s a double-edged sword, it’s great because we’re exiting them,” Miller said. “The unfortunate part is, we don’t get to count them now, as successes on the metrics.”

Also concerning on face was the graduation rate for students with IEPs. Across Iowa, the four-year graduation rate for disabled students was 67.87% in the 2023-24 school year. In Washington, it was just 40%.

But a closer look reveals Washington’s IEP subgroup scores slightly above-average in its five-year graduation rate: 76.47% to the state’s 75.1%. Additionally, Washington students with IEPs were more likely to graduate with college credit than those in most other districts.

Miller said many of Washington’s students with IEPs opted to stay in school longer to take advantage of work-based learning opportunities, and what the district calls “four-plus” services, which prepare disabled students for independent living as adults.

“We have a lot of students that elect to stay until they’re 21 years old, or 19, 20, to still be able to receive some of those services,” he said. “Some of our families elect to stay, and not graduate at that four-year mark. That’s one of the things we look at … are we setting them up for success by keeping them here? And a lot of times, the answer is yes.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com