Report: WUESD improving in academics

Students in the Wasco Union Elementary School District are meeting state academic standards, according to Assistant Superintendent Dave Bowling.

John L. Prueitt and Karl F. Clemens have improved in math, while Teresa Burke and Thomas Jefferson have improved significantly in the indicators. The only school that has declined is Palm Avenue; however, that may change in 2019-20 due in the reconfiguration of the school from an elementary to a middle school.

In another benchmark, Palm Avenue increased in chronic absenteeism by more than 2.5% this year while Prueitt, Clemens, Burke and Jefferson decreased by 0.6% to less than 3%.

Prueitt, Burke and Clemens maintained a low rate of suspensions, while Jefferson and Palm Avenue both declined, Palm Avenue signifcantly

Bowling explained that the schools avoided academic probation this year, according to the 2018 Academic Dashboard.

The dashboard is the tool the state has used for the last four years to gather information on school districts. “It’s a report card for districts across the state,” said.

The dashboard reports on areas such as chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, English learner progress, mathematics, local climate (culture) survey, parent and family engagement, and implementation of academic standards.

Bowling also stated that tests for grades 5-8 will be ready in January and students have until the last day of school to finish them.

“Now that the California School Dashboard is available to the public, the district will begin reaching out to parents, teachers, students and the community of Wasco to invite public input regarding district services,” Bowling said. “The district recognizes that students coming from low socioeconomic home situations, English learners, foster and homeless students, and special needs students are the children most in need of additional support to find success at school.”

According to Bowling, the dashboard is a step in a series of major shifts in public education in California that has raised the bar for student learning, transformed testing and placed the focus on equity for all students.

“The dashboard takes test scores into consideration, as well as the other areas that help make a student successful,” Bowling said. “The dashboard provides information on the different indicators of school success based on data collected at the state and local levels.”