State Report Card Drops One Point on Student Absences but Schools Excel

State Report Card Drops One Point on Student Absences but Schools Excel

West Allis - West Milwaukee Project-Based Learning Schools See Double-Digit Increases

 

In the coming days, you will be seeing district, school, and student-level results for the Wisconsin State Assessments from the 2021-2022 school year.  Our statewide assessments provide a common measure of achievement across students in the state

 

For the 2021-2022 school year, overall as a district we saw a one point decrease in our scores due almost entirely to chronic student absences.  We were not the only district in Wisconsin to see a score decrease but for us there is also very good news.

 

We saw an increase in scores at 10 of our schools and all of our elementary schools are in meets, exceeds, or significantly exceeds expectations!

 

A few more highlights:

This is very exciting and a testament to the commitment of our teachers, leaders, students, and families and to our Deeper Learning framework!

 

We continue to support our schools that saw a decrease as well. We are working on adopting a  new elementary math resource.  We added some time from our external coaches for some schools, added some district support to some schools, and are regularly meeting with teachers and leaders to review all sources of data to ensure students have access to grade level standards. We will closely monitor these supports and add additional resources as needed to assist our staff and students. 

 

We take these assessment results very seriously and use them in conjunction with other data in order to drive school improvement at each of our buildings. The Wisconsin State Assessments are a once-a-year test, but one of many data points that we consider when working in the school improvement planning process. One piece of data that has an impact on our scores is attendance. It is important that students are in attendance at school and we are working towards improving our attendance percentages at all of our schools as we have returned back to in-person learning this year. We are excited to be getting back on track this year, one classroom and one school at a time. 

 

The work in our classrooms is guided by our Deeper Learning framework, preparing students for the unique challenges they may face in the world outside of the classroom walls. The Deeper Learning Competencies: Master Academic Content, Problem Solving/Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Self-Directed Learning, and Academic Mindset are integrated into all of our students' work. Communication and Collaboration are two crucial competencies that can not be measured but are critical for the success of our students after graduation. Deeper Learning prepares our students for living life on their own terms.

 

As individual student assessment results come home and school/district results are released, we want to continue to remind our families that your student is more than just an assessment score.  We strive to create learning spaces where students feel safe; in addition to working hard everyday for an adult that cares about them as a learner, and more importantly a person.  

 

The future is bright! We have confidence in our students and in our teachers that everyone is getting back on track. One of our greatest goals and hopes right now is that your student is enjoying school and feels welcomed by our WAWM community, while being inspired to take charge of their own learning.  We also hope that your student wants to come home and tell you about school!

 

If you have any questions about your child’s individual report, please contact your school’s principal. Thank you for being our partner in your child’s education and as always, we will continue to update you on your child’s progress.