Students in Katie Jacobs’ fourth grade class at Franklin Elementary worked on building hydraulic powered claws in class during the month of May. This end of the year STEM project led to seeing life-sized machines up close and in person.
Testing and Grades
Learning is the chief goal for students in Lake Washington School District. Teachers, administrators, parents, and community members all have that same goal. To reach it, students learn skills and concepts known as learning standards. Teachers base learning on the current State of Washington learning standards. They check student growth on these standards through assessments. Assessments help teachers, students, and parents/guardians understand what concepts and skills students know and can do and where students may need help.
Information about student learning and the performance of the school district is gathered from a variety of sources, including district and state assessments, and from the classroom teacher.
Report Cards
Report cards give parents and students a snapshot of each student’s current performance on the learning standards. About Elementary report cards.
State Assessments
- Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) in English/Language Arts and Math
- This test will assess students in grades 3-8 and 10 and will indicate if students are making progress toward the state learning standards and college and career readiness.
- Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS)
This test will assess students in grades 5, 8 and 11 and will indicate if students are making progress toward the state learning standards in science.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are times for parents and teachers to meet and review the academic progress of a student. Regular parent-teacher conferences ensure that parents and teachers exchange information that can help both parties support students in their learning. Elementary conferences are held twice a year. In October, the student, teacher, and parents/guardians meet for a goal-setting conference. Students set academic goals before the conference. A second conference is held in January to review the student’s progress toward goals.