EL-6%20Monitoring%20Report%20April%202025.pdf

Parent document: Regular Board Meeting and Study Session-04-17-2025.pdf

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Bellingham
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a collective commitment

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MEMORANDUM
TO: Board of Directors
FROM: Greg Baker, Superintendent
DATE: April 17, 2025
SUBJECT: Monitoring Report for EL-6, Academic Standards and Practices

| certify that the following is accurate as of April 17, 2025. The reporting period is from April 13,
2024, to April 17, 2025.

Policy Type: Executive Limitation
Policy: EL-6 Academic Standards and Practices
Adopted: September 10, 2009, revised February 14, 2013, and July 6, 2017

Background Information: This is our report on Executive Limitation 6 - Academic Standards and
Practices. Reports are annual, they often feature an update on work in progress, as well as an
emphasis on “new” work. As with many of the reports we produce for the board, this report is
intended as a representative sample of the overall work in the district, not a comprehensive
accounting of everything that is happening.

1. The superintendent shall not fail to take all reasonable and prudent actions with
respect to academic standards and practices that are typical for similar and highly
effective organizations.

Interpretation: Through the direction provided by the superintendent, the administrative team and
staff have demonstrated reasonable efforts to implement state and content-area standards and
research-based instructional practices.

Evidence of Compliance:

e New/Update: The Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Standing Committee, convened in
the Fall of 2024, was designed to encapsulate the work previously done by the Joint
Committee on Student Conduct and the Inclusionary Instructional Strategies Committee,
both of which concluded with the start of this new standing committee. The purpose of the
MTSS Standing Committee is to create a systematic, data-driven approach to supporting all
students and to prepare for state-mandated changes to the special education evaluation
process that will require our schools to be consistent in the approach to core instruction.
The committee’s work this year will involve investigation and dissemination of instructional


Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

strategies, interventions and associated helpful practices in support of professional learning
in our school district. The goals of the MTSS Standing Committee include:

o Establish a vision for how to implement a strong, evidence-based multi-tiered system
of support for all students in Bellingham Public Schools.

o Use the collective expertise of the committee to develop a curated list of resources
that demonstrate best practices.

o Investigate, review and recommend professional learning experiences that can be
accessed by district employees in support of growing our work in inclusive
instructional strategies.

o Focus on growing inclusive strategies and increasing the scope of inclusion over
time, beginning with the early grades.

The committee has met monthly since November, and meeting notes and minutes can be
viewed here. Work coming out of this committee will include menus of tiered intervention
supports in various content areas (SEL, literacy, attendance, etc.) that can be used by school
teams in their collaboration time, in Child Study Team meetings, in Attendance Team
meetings and other planning settings that are part of the regular work to support student
learning needs in schools.

Update/Ongoing: We continued our focus on planning for instructional improvement
through common districtwide goals for professional learning by once again convening
School-based PD Leadership teams in asummer retreat, August 15-16, 2024. Firm goals
established back in August of 2022 continue to guide our district’s work in four categories
for professional learning. These firm goals (see Figure 1) continued as our school district’s
focus for ongoing work into the 2024-25 school year.

Figure 1. Firm Goals for BPS Professional Learning 2024-25

District Firm Goals

Skills and

Knowledge

Defining inclusion and
the connection to
Bellingham Promise

Understanding of UDL
foundational concepts

Making connections
between academic
and social/emotional
learning

Four specific goals have been our focus for this year’s work: (1) Knowledge: Making
Connections Between Academic and Social/Emotional Learning; (2) Skills and Practices:

Practices

Establishing inclusive

and developmentally

appropriate learning
environments

Providing access to
grade level content for
all students

Implementing
research-based
prevention and de-
escalation strategies

Implementation

Teaching district
adopted Tier-1
curriculum

Growing practice
through participation
in collaborative
structures

Engaging with CEL 5D+
inquiry cycle to
support professional
growth

Feedback

Using data to measure
student growth over
time

Examining student
progress for students
furthest from
opportunity

Engaging in reflection
on professional growth
and setting future
learning goals



Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

Providing access to grade level content for all students; (3) Implementation: Teaching
District Adopted Tier-1 Curriculum; and (4) Feedback: Using Data to Measure Student
Growth Over Time. School teams each developed plans coming out of the August retreat for
their school specific focus for the year. The professional learning calendar includes periodic
time for building-based professional development and the plans that were made in August
were designed to support the coherent use of this built in time for buildings to focus on staff
learning.

e New: Anew series of professional learning opportunities for paraeducators and teachers
they work with has also been implemented this year, led by School Support Lead Rebecca
Sauter and other members of our district’s Student Support Team (SST). This series of in-
person training has been designed to increase knowledge of best practices for inclusive
learning environments. Attendance by paraeducator and case manager teams (teacher,
other support personnel) was encouraged and the classes offered credits toward the
General Paraeducator Certificate as well as clock hours for certificated staff. Classes
offered included:

o Use of Positive Reinforcement, 12/5/24.

Make a Change: Strategies to Help Learners Make Daily Transitions, 1/9/25.

Strategies to Decrease the Incidence of Problem Behavior, 1/23/25.

Visual Supports and Strategies, 2/6/25.

Chaining, Shaping and Prompting, 2/27/25.

Discrete Trial Teaching, 3/6/25.

Data Collection for Paraeducators: Data Driven Decisions, 3/27/25.

o Pivotal Response Teaching Across the Day, 4/3/25.

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The SST also ran multiple sessions of a course entitled “Supporting All Students: Effective
Paraeducator Support in an Inclusive Setting for Learners with Complex Needs.” This 1-hour
asynchronous course provides introductory material that is relevant to all paraeducator
positions but particularly Student Support paraeducators and their substitutes. Staff,
including newly hired permanent, temporary or substitute staff members were offered the
opportunity to complete the course asynchronously and receive General Paraeducator
Certificate hours by completing a brief completion quiz.

e New: Professional development in artificial intelligence (Al) continued along with a focus on
the Healthy Tech Promise. Director Bill Palmer has been leading work with secondary
instructional coaches on better understanding available Al tools for teachers and supporting
learning around appropriate use of screentime with all digital devices. In March, a panel of
leaders participated in a discussion with the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Committee
with the central focus on student access and use of cell phones. The discussion broadened
to include aspects of the Healthy Tech Promise.

e New: Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings for elementary. Within our focus on
embedding time specifically for collaboration’ in service of teacher professional learning

1 By way of reminder, specific parameters for the collaboration time for teachers is spelled out on page 50 of the BEA
contract, in Article VIII, Section L.


Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

during Thursday afternoon early release time, we included the addition of two opportunities
in the calendar for PLC time for grade levels and specialist groups in elementary schools to
come together around a common focus. These meetings occurred during October and
March and included time set aside for each grade level, as well as specialist teams. Literacy
and a focus specifically on guided reading and racial literacy have been the focus for these
elementary PLC meetings this year.

2a. The superintendent shall not fail to implement best practices for aligned and rigorous:
(i) academic content and standards; (ii) curriculum and materials; (iii) world-class
instruction; and (iv) appropriately differentiated curriculum, materials and instruction for
all students.

Interpretation: Through the direction provided by the superintendent, the administrative team and
staff will provide ongoing professional development in support of the development and
implementation of clearly defined standards, aligned assessments, high quality research-based
instructional materials and innovative instructional strategies.

Evidence of Compliance:

Update: Implementation of iReady math and literacy assessments and instructional support
continued this year. School teams and staff from the Department of Teaching and Learning
have been engaged with trainers from Curriculum Associates to help us go deeper into the
use of these materials, and to understand the data on student progress.

New: Elementary math pilot. Teacher on special assignment (TOSA) Rey Ramos and Director
Tom Gresham are leading a pilot group of elementary teachers in developing their
pedagogical skills with math instruction. We began this work envisioning that this group of
elementary teachers once trained will be able to host other teachers in observing their shifts
in math instruction through a lab classroom approach. The foundations of the work are
rooted in Peter Liljedahl’s “Thinking Classroom” (cover seen in Figure 2) approach to math
instruction. Professor Liljedahl, from Simon Fraser University, has conducted several staff
development sessions for our secondary math teachers on the use of vertical white boards
to enhance group problem solving.

Figure 2. Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom

MATHEMATICS
f ORADES y

THINKING
CLASSROOM

PETER LILJEDAAL © MAEGAN GIROU

New/Update: TOSAs Andrea Quigley, Yana Mansfield and Jessica Wallace provided a series
of three trainings for 40 participants on the use of Thinking Maps in the instructional
process. Thinking Maps are visual tools that support cognitive processes, critical thinking,


Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

creativity, and collaboration. The maps provide inclusive access points for students to
engage in content and grade-level standards. During the training, participants learned how
to teach and integrate content into each Thinking Map as well as how students can
collaboratively speak, read, write, and question off the map. Eight map types each provide a
different avenue to support different types of work. The simplest is the circle map (see
Figure 3 below) which is used for brainstorming and capturing the free

Figure 3. Circle Map

flow of information. Double bubble maps (see Figure 4), in contrast, help to define the
similarities between two different topics. General education, special education teachers,
instructional coaches, and administrators attending our training learned the different map
types, and how to use them to provide access for all students.

Figure 4. Double Bubble Map

e Update: Mountain School/Camp Kirby outdoor learning experiences. Last year, to provide an
outdoor experience for the seven schools who were unable to attend Mountain School, we
added a three-day, two-night trip to Camp Kirby, located on Samish Island. This experience
proved to be of high value and offers a meaningful outdoor experience in addition to
Mountain School at North Cascades Institute (NCI). As a result of the success of this new
opportunity, we have integrated this into our regular program offerings; schools will be ona
rotation so that every year some schools will attend Kirby and some will attend NCI.


Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

Update: Mental health supports continue to grow. Mental health supportin Bellingham
Public Schools (BPS) continues to expand with our district mental health staff and
community partners providing both school-based and community-based support for
students and families. Dr. Laura Cardinal, Director of Mental Health, has also assumed a
high degree of responsibility in serving as our Title IX coordinator. Partnerships with
community providers continue.

Update: Additional training on Morpheme Magic for Little Ones was provided for third grade
teachers in December 2024. This resource was provided in school year 2023-24 for primary
grade teachers (K-2) and this additional training was to support foundational skills
development in grade 3.

2b. The superintendent shall not fail to periodically report on: (i) systemic instructional
training and development activities that are expected to lead to increases in efficiency and
effectiveness; and (ii) programs and other school-related activities implemented to
develop and promote the well-being of the whole child consistent with Board Ends.

Interpretation: Through the direction provided by the superintendent, the administrative team and
staff will facilitate the use of multiple strategies to periodically communicate training and
development activities that increase efficiency and effectiveness and promote whole-child
initiatives.

Evidence of Compliance:

New/Update: Bias and Hate Training work expands and continues. Training for staff in
dealing with incidents of bias and hate, led by Director Janis Velasquez-Farmer and Equity,
Diversity and Inclusion (EDI} TOSA Yana Mansfield continued this year. Building on the
foundations of Bias and Hate Pt. |: Interrupting Harm, the second workshop in a three-part
series shifted the focus from interrupting harm to actively promoting safety and security.
This training explores the practical application of Policy and Procedure 3209 Bias Incident
and Hate Speech and is intended to deepen our understanding of culturally responsive
practices that foster meaningful cultural change. These trainings are designed to be
communicated out and implemented in every one of our schools.

New/Update: Corresponding with the training on bias and hate incidents, an educational
resource kit supports our training efforts and includes resources in a variety of areas such as
anti-Black/racism, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Semitism, anti-Asian, anti-disability, as well as quick
access point for all our policies and procedures that relate to supporting education for
students who exhibit biased and hate-based behaviors. Policies in place include 3209 Bias
Incident and Hate Speech, 3241 Student Discipline, 3210 Nondiscrimination and 3207
Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying.

Update: In reporting on our identified district outcomes, we continue to seek out evidence
that sheds light on our work in new and more informative ways. Ends reports were shared at
school board meetings this year. Dates and times for the 2024-25 school year follow:

o Ends 2.1, part 1: February 13, 2025

o Ends 2.1, part 2: March 13, 2025.

o Ends 1, 2 and 3 combined report: To be presented May 15, 2025.

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Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

Update: In addition, we have included the following opportunities for the board to hear from
schools and community groups:

o Monthly visits by school board members to schools to learn about the work in our

schools consistent with the Ends outlined in The Bellingham Promise. Schools visited
since we last reported included:

Wade King June 4, 2024

Happy Valley October 1, 2024
Sehome December 3, 2024
Sunnyland March 4, 2025

Fairhaven May 6, 2025 (Scheduled)

o Periodic opportunities for the school board’s deeper study of topics, linkages with
specific groups in the community and student roundtables included:
Study Session: School Safety (November 14, 2024)
Student Roundtable: Traffic Safety, Squalicum HS (February 26, 2025)
Linkage #1: Childcare Providers January 23, 2025)
Linkage #2: Students/Families Who Did Not Graduate from BPS (March 26,
2025)

Update: The superintendent offers a report at regular public school board meetings on
topics directly about the instructional program to keep the school board appraised of
initiatives underway in the district that serve to promote the improvement of teaching and
learning. Examples of reports since the last writing of this report include:
o Update on Kulshan Middle School new classrooms and turf field (September 14,
2024)
o Update on Native American Heritage Month events and Title VI Family Committee
(November 14, 2024)
o Update on Washington State/District budget picture (December 12, 2024, + various
other meetings)
o Update on the opening of the health center at Options High School (February 13,
2025)

2c. The superintendent shall not fail to encourage reasoned instructional innovation.

Interpretation: Through the direction provided by the superintendent, the administrative team and
staff will design and implement educational programs that respond to the diverse and ever-
changing needs of our students.

Evidence of Compliance:

New: Electric Vehicle (EV) course. The launch of our new EV course will occur in fall of 2025,
made possible through a generous grant from Foundry 10, which also provided essential
teacher training. This innovative program, taught by Bellingham High School (BHS) teacher
Paul Clement with support from Career and Technical Education (CTE) TOSA Jenny Styer,
will be located at Options High School. The curriculum will encompass sustainability,
energy, engineering, technology and auto shop, allowing students to engage hands-on in


Monitoring Report for EL-6
April 17, 2025

building and taking apart (for reuse) a real EV designed to seat three people and be licensed
for the road.

e New/Update: Audiology Van in use. Also funded through support from philanthropic partner
Foundry 710, our new district audiology van is now in use. Audiologist Geeta Sawh is now able
to drive state of the art audiology equipment to the parking lot outside of schools, enabling
students and families access to real-time opportunities for screening and testing. The
investment in this van and the equipment it contains was the product of conversations
between our Special Education department and Foundry 70 sponsors.

e New: Opening year of Early Learning Center (ELC) at the district office. The inaugural group
of early learners has inhabited our ELC space this year. The student population has grown
over the course of the fall and winter of 2024-25. We are hosting 30 seats for students
eligible for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance (ECEAP) program, which is a
state-funded program that offers free early learning childcare or preschool to support
children’s development and learning. The program is administered by our partners at
Educational Service District #189.

e New/Update: Development of common curricular units of inquiry continues in elementary
schools. Instructional coaches are once again working in collaboration with teachers to lead
the development of new units of inquiry at various grade levels in the elementary program
this year. For example, second grade teachers at Silver Beach (Sadie Hostetler), Lowell
(Blayne Lambert) and Birchwood (Angie Titus) have been working with instructional coaches
Rachel Frye, Kristin Gresham and Tess Ridgway to build an inquiry unit around the central
idea “Living things are connected and rely on one another.” Key elements of this integrated
work:

o Theunit incorporates material from Open SciEd’s NGSS aligned curriculum so that
students can investigate how seeds disperse and what plants need to grow.

o Theunit also incorporates the Since Time Immemorial pathway 2: Honoring the
Salmon. When students are studying how living things are connected and rely on
each other they’re learning about natural helpers (how black bears and rodents
distribute salmonberry seeds) and human helpers like the Nooksack Tribe and
Lummi Nation working collaboratively to restore salmon habitats.

o The unit further incorporates learning happening through elementary PLC time (noted
earlier) and weaves in interactive read-alouds with picture books written by local
Indigenous authors.

o Future work involves refining lessons based on feedback from Lummi and Nooksack
partners, piloting the units with students this spring and updating the instructional
materials and supplies based on teacher and student feedback.

e New/Update: School-based health center opens. The school-based health center housed at
Options High School opened this year, and this effort will serve students’ learning in
multiple important ways and serves as an example of the innovative practices and
approaches to serving the whole child that we continue to develop in our district.

2d. The superintendent shall not fail to provide an affirmative (or negative) statement the
following actions have been taken: (i) involve stakeholder groups in substantive academic

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standards and practice decisions; (ii) provide access and utilization of electronically
delivered curriculum, materials and instruction; and a periodic systematic review of
academic content, standards, curriculum, materials, and (iii) instruction, involving
stakeholders, has taken place to ensure continuous improvement and adherence to best
practices.

Interpretation: None in question.

Evidence of Compliance: (Affirmative Statements)

New: Title VI Family Committee. The Title VI Native American Family Committee (NAFC)
supports the educational needs of Native American students. The NAFC is made up of
parents and family members of Native American children who attend Bellingham Public
Schools (BPS) and will advise and guide the design and implementation of the Native
American Student Program (NASP) which is supported by Title VI grant funds. NASP focuses
on educational and social emotional opportunities that address the specific needs of Native
American students. Over time, the NAFC will review data, participate in programming and
support relationship building between the district and local tribes, allin support of Native
American student success.

Update: The district’s Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) continues to meet regularly,
typically quarterly, and review core and supplemental curricular resources. The committee
includes administrators, teachers and community members. Meeting dates for 2024-25:
October 1, February 4 and May 6. More information can be seen on the IMC webpage.

Update: Efforts to continue to seek advice from our community members in the various
stakeholder groups are well-established. These include formal (ongoing) structures for

stakeholder feedback and informal structures that invite feedback from our community
members. Formal structures include:

o Update: The Bellingham Public Schools Parent Advisory Committee to the
Superintendent (PACS) focused on engaging parent representatives from each of the
district’s schools in review of curricular and programmatic directions underway in
the district has continued to meet regularly under the leadership of parent co-chairs.
At each meeting (see the list here), the superintendent’s report focuses on providing
information and asking for feedback on various aspects of the ongoing work of the
district. Meeting dates and topics this year included:

=" Budget Planning for 2025-26 (October 10, 2024)

=" Discussion of District Equity Work (December 12, 2024)
=" Inclusion (February 13, 2025)

=" Student Use of Technology in Schools (March 13, 2025)
=" TBD (April 17, 2025-scheduled)

=" TBD (May 15, 2025-scheduled)

o Update: For a number of years, the Student Advisory Committee to the
Superintendent (SACS) has had student representatives from each of the
district’s four high schools engaging monthly with the superintendent in review of
programmatic directions underway in the district. This year we took a different

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approach with our Student Advisory Committee. Instead of a small group of eight
students, the superintendent, working with each high school principal, met with
different groups of students at each school, to talk about relevant topics at their
schools. Examples include a recent meeting in April 2025, during which Dr. Baker
met with approximately 40 students at SQHS in the Latinos in Action classes. This
included discussions around federal immigration policy and impact to schools,
our students and families.

e Frequent communications about the instructional program to families also occur through
various means including the publication of /nside Schools. Below are links to two recent
editions:

o Winter 2025: https://www.flipsnack.com/bellinghamschools/insideschools-winter-
2025/full-view. html

o Fall 2024: https://www.flipsnack.com/bellinghamschools/insideschools-fall-
2024/full-view.html

e The annual publication of the district’s Priorities for Progress highlights aspects of our
instructional program work in progress, addresses work in all strategic areas of The
Bellingham Promise and invites community input on our work. The 2024-25 edition is linked
below:

o Priorities for Progress 2024-25: https://bellinghamschools.org/priorities-for-
progress-2024-2025/

Statement of Compliance: The superintendent is in compliance with EL-6 Academic Standards
and Practices.

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