Teaching & Learning

Literacy Goals

Westonka students will be assessed to determine reading strengths and gaps starting in kindergarten through grade 4. The goals of these assessments include:

Increase the level of students that are proficient in reading
Analyze disaggregated student achievement results and growth data in grades K-4
Develop a plan for progress monitoring for students that are below grade level
Increase student achievement in reading for all students

The district’s literacy goals are based on the Science of Reading research, visualized through Scarborough’s Reading Rope.

The elementary literacy program is based on the best-practice research, the Science of Reading, and includes five essential domains of reading found in high-quality literacy programs:

Phonological & Phonemic Awareness - Daily instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness to develop a solid foundation in reading and writing.
Phonics & Word Study - Daily lessons on phonemic awareness, sound/symbol relationships, blending, spelling and high-frequency word instruction at Grades K-2 and a focus on word analysis, spelling and vocabulary strategies at Grades 3-4.
Vocabulary - Instruction that focuses on high-frequency, robust and domain-specific academic vocabulary. Instruction also includes opportunities for students to discuss, define and use new words orally and create graphic organizers to articulate existing knowledge and extend their understanding of new words.
Fluency - Direct instruction in reading fluency development to improve student reading rate and inflection.
Comprehension - Instruction on helping students read a wide range of fiction and nonfiction (informational, persuasive, procedural and narrative) genres with full comprehension. Through comprehension skills development, students use strategies to learn, analyze and apply nonfiction content-area information while analyzing and appreciating fictional literary texts.

Writing is also an important aspect of the district’s elementary literacy program through weekly intentional reading-writing connections and the use of genre-focused writing projects to develop narrative, persuasive and informational text writing skills. Grammar and conventions lessons are embedded throughout the writing program.

Students that are not proficient in reading are benefiting from Westonka's implementation of a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) based on the Minnesota MTSS Framework. The Westonka Public School District MTSS Framework is designed to provide systematic support for all Westonka students’ social-emotional, academic, behavioral health/attendance needs.

The Westonka MTSS Framework provides services and interventions to identified learners at increasing levels of intensity through three tiers of support:

Tier 1: Whole class core instruction
Tier 2: Whole class core instruction + additional targeted instruction (often small group)
Tier 3: Whole class core instruction + additional targeted instruction + intensive intervention (small group/individual)

The district’s reading intervention plans are embedded in the Westonka MTSS Framework and is based on a systematic approach of identifying students’ specific reading gaps and determining the best intervention program to use to address their gaps in reading. Reading intervention options include the following:

Sonday System for decoding and phonics focus
SRA Reading Mastery for phonemic awareness, phonics and word analysis, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension focus
Classroom-based curriculum reading intervention options for comprehension focus.

At both Westonka elementary schools, students that are not meeting grade level expectations in reading are closely monitored and are placed into effective reading intervention programs that provide these students more time to master grade level reading concepts and build their confidence with their reading abilities.

These systematic reading intervention programs are used by classroom teachers, special education teachers, the elementary reading literacy coach and academic paraprofessionals.

Cultural Competency

Westonka Public Schools Cultural Competency Plan

Approved by Westonka School Board June 7, 2021

Overview

As a school district, it is our responsibility to create learning environments that allow all Westonka students to experience high levels of learning across our system while identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent students from learning at their highest potential.

Which student groups are excelling academically?
Which student groups are struggling academically?
Which students are taking honors and AP courses?
Which students are participating in co-curricular activities?

Creating a deep awareness and understanding of our Westonka students and their needs assures that the district is able to help all Westonka students learn at their highest potential while helping the district become aware of barriers that may be preventing some students from reaching this goal.

Goals
Guiding Principles

Goals

Expect high levels of learning for all Westonka students.
Identify and eliminate barriers that prevent students from learning at their highest potential.
Provide staff professional development on the following:
1. How to engage with students in topics that relate to diversity, equity, inclusion and current events.
2. How to eliminate barriers in order for students to learn at their highest potential.
3. How to ensure our school environment is welcoming and inclusive for all students.
Review and implement hiring practices to attract and employ individuals that are qualified for job openings and reflect in their ethnic background the diversity of our student body.

Guiding Principles

We believe that the Westonka Public Schools should be a place where all students feel welcomed, respected and can succeed at their highest ability. Therefore, we will create an environment of collaboration, empathy and one that values our diversity with a specific focus on equity and inclusion of all students. Through this work, we will:

Ensure and monitor that all students have equal access to academic, social emotional and mental health supports within the school district and community by evaluating student data points.
Identify and work towards the elimination of racism in our schools that effectively denies Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian students an equitable educational experience.
Show respect for differences in race, ethnicity, socio-economic level, disability (learning, physical, emotional attributes), religion, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in our school system and community.
Examine and revise policies and practices that perpetuate inequitable conditions for students, parents, staff and visitors.
Provide staff development to establish a shared understanding and consistency in our work with diversity, equity and inclusion.
Implement curriculum based on Minnesota standards that is diverse in terms of rigor, subject matter and cultural perspectives.
Create a partnership between the school district and community to create shared ownership of making our community safe, healthy and welcoming for all students, families and community members.

Standards-Based Grading

Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness

ISD 277 Westonka Public Schools Local World's Best Workforce Plan

The World's Best Workforce (WBWF) Plan was developed in 2013 (Minnesota Statutes 2023, section 120B.11) to ensure that school districts and charter schools in Minnesota enhance student achievement through teaching and learning supports. School boards that govern districts and charter schools are required to develop comprehensive, long-term strategic plans that address the following four WBWF goals:

All children are ready for school.
All racial and economic achievement gaps between students are closed.
All students are ready for career and college.
All students graduate from high school.

Note: Due to legislative changes, third grade reading is no longer a WBWF goal area as of the 2023–24 school year.

The Westonka Public Schools World’s Best Workforce Plan serves as a blueprint that demonstrates how the district’s strategic plan and supporting district initiatives and plans work together in a concerted effort to educate and prepare our students to be competitive and successful in a global and changing work environment. By aligning district initiatives and plans to the district's strategic goals, Westonka has been able to achieve positive results in the key areas of the World’s Best Workforce. In particular, the objectives established under Westonka Public Schools Strategic Goal 1 are directly aligned to the World's Best Workforce Achievement Goals centered on: 1) school readiness, 2) achievement gap, 3) career and college readiness, and 4) graduation rate.

Achievement Goals & Results

All Students Ready for School

Westonka Public Schools uses early childhood screening to check the basic health and development of a child between the ages of 3 and 4 years. This screening is required for kindergarten entrance. The areas of screening include height, weight, vision, hearing, health history, family factors, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, language skills, cognitive skills, and social and emotional skills. The screening is specifically designed to identify children who may have fallen behind and may benefit from district and community resources/intervention services. This process is intended to aid in closing the achievement gap.

The district’s goal is to have at least 90 percent of students eligible for kindergarten pass their kindergarten assessment screenings in the spring.

Results:

For the 2023-24 school year, Westonka Early Childhood screened 160 children. Of those children, 137 were determined to be kindergarten-ready (86%). Twenty-three students were referred to Early Childhood Special Education or to medical or mental health specialists.

All Racial and Economic Achievement Gaps Between Students are Closed

The achievement gap, as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in reading and math, between the district's highest student subgroup and lowest student subgroups will decrease by 2 percentage points from the 2022-23 school year to the 2023-24 school year.

Results:

Special Education Subgroup

2023 MCA Math Proficiency

White Group (1,014 students): 77.6%
SPED Group (166 students): 45.2%
Gap: 32.4

2024 MCA Math Proficiency

White Group (1,043 students): 76.5%
SPED Group (182 students): 44.5%
Gap: 32.0

Achievement Gap Difference: -0.4

2023 MCA Reading Proficiency

White Group (1,022 students): 74.10%
SPED Group (170 students): 41.2%
Gap: 32.90

2024 MCA Reading Proficiency

White Group (1,075 students): 76.2%
SPED Group (150 students): 46.0%
Gap: 30.20

Achievement Gap Difference: -2.70

Free/Reduced Meals Subgroup

2023 MCA Math Proficiency

White Group (1,014 students): 77.6%
F/R Meal Group (234 students): 53.8%
Gap: 23.8

2024 MCA Math Proficiency

White Group (1,043 students): 76.5%
F/R Meal Group (246 students: 58.5%
Gap: 18

Achievement Gap Difference: -5.80

2023 MCA Reading Proficiency

White Group (1,022 students): 74.10%
F/R Meal Group (248 students): 54.00%
Gap: 20.1

2024 MCA Reading Proficiency

White Group (1,075 students): 76.2%
F/R Meal Group (244 students): 63.9%
Gap: 12.3

Achievement Gap Difference: -7.8

All Students are Ready for Career and College

Pre-ACT and ACT results are used to help determine student college and career readiness. The following goal was set to measure student college and career readiness:

The composite score gap between our lowest student group (of at least 20 students) and our highest performing student group will decrease by .5 points from the 2021-22 school year to the 2023-24 school year as measured by the 10th Grade Pre-ACT results and the Graduating Class ACT results.

Results:

Both groups increased their composite score average while the White group had a greater increase in composite score over the Students of Color Group, contributing to an increase in the composite score gap of 1.2 percentage points.

2021-22 Grade 10 Pre-ACT Composite Score:

Students of Color (23 students): 18.0
White (144 students): 20.2
Gap: 2.2 points

2023-24 Graduating Class of 2024 Composite Score:

Students of Color (20 students): 19.9
White (151 students): 23.3
Gap: 3.4 points

All Students Graduate from High School

The State of Minnesota tracks graduation rates for each public school district, looking at 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-year cohorts of students. The most up-to-date graduation rates can be found on the Minnesota Report Card, located on the Minnesota Department of Education website. The district's long-term goal is that the 4-year, 5-year and 6-year graduating rates will be no less than 95% at the end of each school year.

Results:

Westonka's 4-year graduation rate of 2023 (the most recent data available in the MDE Data Center) was 92.6%
Westonka's 5-yr graduation rate of 2023 was 92.0%
Westonka's 6-yr graduation rate of 2022 was 96.8%

Standardized Testing

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

Westonka Public Schools is committed to providing a high-quality education for all students. To ensure that students receive appropriate support, the district utilizes a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. This framework emphasizes a proactive and data-driven approach to identifying and addressing student needs.

Tiered Intervention Model

Tier 1: Universal Instruction: All students receive high-quality, evidence-based instruction in the general education setting. This includes differentiated instruction, small group instruction, and access to core curriculum materials.
Tier 2: Supplemental Instruction: Students who are not making adequate progress in Tier 1 receive targeted small group instruction.
Tier 3: Intensive Intervention: Students who continue to experience significant challenges despite Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions may receive intensive, individualized support.