School Improvement Plan

What is a School Improvement Plan?

A School Improvement Plan (SIP) is a strategic blueprint that schools use to enhance student learning and improve educational practices. It outlines specific goals for improvement, actions to achieve those goals, and methods for measuring progress.

Key Points of a SIP:

Goals: Clear objectives the school aims to achieve to enhance student outcomes.
Actions: Steps and strategies the school will implement to reach its goals, based on research and effective practices.
Monitoring: Regular review of progress with adjustments made to ensure the school stays on track toward its improvement objectives.

The purpose of a SIP is to provide a clear roadmap for schools to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly focusing on eliminating disparities and ensuring equitable opportunities for every student.

Every school in Washington State is required to have a School Improvement Plan.

Visit the Issaquah School District SIP website to learn more about SIPs.

District - School Improvement Plans

Sunset Elementary School Improvement Plan

2024-2026

Strengths, Challenges, & Opportunities

What school strengths support belonging, well-being, and learning?

Highlight 3-5 strengths of your school and how those strengths foster belonging, wellbeing and learning.

1. Inclusive Community and Diversity Initiatives

Strength: The school fosters a culture of inclusivity by embracing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Sunset has strong PBIS systems in place, including Tier I, Tier II and Tier III systems to support students. The staff engage in professional learning around Equity and Culturally Responsive teaching and they utilize diverse classroom instructional material that mirrors our student and family populations.
How it fosters belonging and well-being: This focus on diversity allows students to feel accepted and valued for who they are. By celebrating different cultures and identities, the school promotes a sense of belonging and psychological safety, which supports mental well-being.

2. Enhanced Student Support Services

Strength: Sunset has additional Special Education staffing (four LRCI teachers and two LRCII teachers plus program paraprofessional support), Title and LAP academic support staff (2 fulltime and 1 half-time staff), comprehensive mental health and counseling for all students (Counselor, Swedish Based Mental Health Counselor, Social Worker, Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Specialist) services are available to all students.
How it fosters well-being: Students can access resources for emotional and academic support, reducing stress and promoting a healthy balance between their personal lives and academics.

3. Collaborative and Hands-On Learning Approaches

Strength: The school prioritizes experiential learning, group projects, and real-world problem-solving opportunities through teachers’ commitment to fostering community in classrooms and teacher leaders for UDL design and instruction fostering a sense of belonging and community.
How it fosters belonging: Collaborative learning builds strong peer relationships, as students work together in diverse teams to achieve common goals. This sense of partnership strengthens their connection to the school community.

4. Strong Family Partnership Relationships

Strength: Sunset has a strong focus on family outreach through family teacher meetings, Kindergarten Enrollment/Parent Information Session in the Spring for the incoming kindergarteners and families, welcome nights, Family Math Night, Multicultural Fair, PTA events and Families at Recess. Families have access to translation services such as Alboum and Google translate. Families have access to a family liaison, social worker, and board-certified behavior analyst.
How it fosters belonging and well-being: Strong family partnerships help students and families feel seen and supported, creating a sense of belonging for all in our community. Families who experience trauma or hardship can reach out and receive help and services. Educators are proactive and reach out to families first through multiple avenues. Families from different countries and cultures are able to learn about the American school system and receive help accessing and communicating with their students' educators.

What challenges are you working to address, especially in closing gaps?

Based on your data and observations, describe 2-3 of the challenges you hope to address through school improvement? Be sure to address areas of gap closure.

1. Achievement Gaps Among Student Subgroups

Challenge: Disparities in academic achievement continues to persist between different student groups, Special Education, Multi-Lingual Learners, Black and Brown students in Sunset’s data.
School Improvement Goal: Focus on closing these gaps by increasing opportunities for targeted intervention strategies, push-in inclusion instructional support, alignment of curriculum between pull out programs and classroom instruction, and utilizing UDL strategies to engage students in learning and to express their understanding through individually chosen methods.

2. Social-Emotional Support and Mental Health Needs

Challenge: Students exhibit behavioral challenges that impede student learning and feelings of safety for all students in our community. Not all students have equal access to resources outside of school, leading to inequitable support across the student body. It takes time to identify the underlying cause and put systems and plans in place to support student success with social emotional and behavior goals in the classroom and unstructured times in the school day. Students that come from diverse cultures and speak a different language at home do not have access to programs and support.
School Improvement Goal: Continue to build our school-wide MTSS processes, collaboration with the Special Education Department and Behavior Support Team, additional training for teachers and paraprofessional staff on implementing behavior plans and instructional best practices for inclusion in the classroom settings.

What future opportunities will you use to improve and address inequities?

Describe 2-3 opportunities in the coming years your school can leverage for this school improvement plan and to address disproportionality?

1. Increased Special Education staffing at Sunset, including trained paraprofessionals, behavior specialists and other support staff.

2. Alignment of Reading and Writing instruction through the implementation of the newly adopted Benchmark Curriculum and Success Blocks (Really Great Reading, Words Their Way, Heggerty) and the newly implemented Math Success Block format for foundational math skills.

3. Family and Community partnerships- Sunset has a strong connection to the community, including a high number of VOICE mentors working with students, volunteers partnering during the school day to support instructional and activities in classrooms, PTA events focused on academics and building a sense of community.

Root Cause and Contributing Factors of Disproportionality

ISD recognizes that not all students benefit equally or achieve equitably within our district. Our outcome measures such as graduation rate, proficiency on assessments, and grades indicate that we are not achieving equitable results for students in identified ethnic and racial groups, students who are experiencing economic hardships, and students with disabilities.

ISD is committed to disrupting patterns that result in inequitable outcomes. Global (across time and place) and local factors contribute to inequitable outcomes in our District, including the following:

Institutional racism and ableism
Impacts of economic hardship, including mobility or discontinuity of education
Impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Lack of consistent access to preventative and responsive services when experiencing ACEs
Lack of consistent access to adequate supports designed to address basic and individual educational needs
Lack of consistent access to high quality, inclusive, universally designed, and culturally responsive education

Reflection & Theory of Action

What new practices are improving student achievement, and how are you tracking their impact?
What steps are you taking to address inequities in student achievement?

What new practices are improving student achievement, and how are you tracking their impact?

Based on previous School Improvement Planning & Tiered Fidelity Inventories, describe 1-2 systems, structures or practices recently introduced or expanded that shows promise for student achievement and will be continued? What impact are you observing? What data are you using to monitor impact?

Transition support from District Pre-School Programs to kindergarten, this helps teachers understand the student needs that are coming to school and how to support them from day one. With the support of MTSS expert, Maggie Schulze, Sunset has been working on Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports and outlining the available interventions for students. We have streamlined the Tier II process from how to identify students for support to creating a concrete list of interventions. There is now a one-page document that outlines Tier II interventions for Social, Emotional, Behavior, Attendance, and Academics. This one-page document also has entrance and fading/exit criteria for each intervention, so we know when we are meeting needs or need to make an adjustment.

With these new supports, we are noticing that we can quickly and accurately respond to the needs of the students that are in our classrooms. We are meeting them where they are and helping them grow towards grade-level achievement. We use i-Ready, Benchmark, SAEBRS, Really Great Reading, Kindergarten Screeners, WaKIDS, SWIS and SWIS CICO data to monitor progress. We are noticing that there is an achievement gap for students of color and students with disabilities. With our focus on inclusionary practices and the adoption of a new literacy curriculum, we aim to close these gaps.

What steps are you taking to address inequities in student achievement?

What proactive steps is your school taking through this school improvement plan to disrupt predictable patterns, actively dismantle institutional racism, and address the disproportionality in academic achievement among students of different backgrounds?

Our first step is analyzing data to notice patterns to disrupt trends. As stated above, we have noticed that there is an achievement gap for students of color and students with disabilities. We aim to address these gaps through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and the district-initiative of inclusionary practices.

Backed by Data

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound, Inclusive, Equity-focused goals aligned to the Academic Opportunities priority area of the ISD 3-year strategic plan, referencing data from the School Improvement Data Dashboard.

Data Workbook for Elementary School

Literacy

Literacy: Increase achievement and decrease disproportionality in literacy.

3rd grade reading is an ISD Strategic Plan milestone. Meeting benchmark on the i-Ready Phonics assessment by the end of 3rd grade is a key performance indicator that a student has met this milestone. Set a target for achievement in phonics even if the group data is suppressed due to there being less than 10 students in the 3rd grade group.

3^rd Phonics	Spring 2023*	Spring 2024	Spring 2025 Target	Spring 2026 Target
All Students	NA	75%	78%	80%
BIPOC Focus Group	NA	58%	63%	68%
Students with Disabilities	NA	17%	30%	43%

* This year’s data was based on an optional assessment not completed at this school.

Math

Math: Increase achievement and decrease disproportionality in Mathematics.

Elementary math metrics provide checkpoints toward the ISD Strategic Plan milestone of successful completion of Algebra 1. The math metrics in the School Improvement Plan Dashboard include:

5th Grade i-Ready Math, percent of students meeting standard
3rd-5th Grade SBA Math, percent of students meeting standard
Accelerated Growth (1st-5th i-Ready or 4th-5th SBA), percent of students who did not meet standard and demonstrated accelerated growth

Select one of the indicators from the SIP Dashboard to set a goal in math.

5th Grade i-Ready Math	Spring 2023	Spring 2024	Spring 2025 Target	Spring 2026 Target
All Students	59%	62%	65%	68%
BIPOC Focus Group	14%	29%	36%	43%
Students with Disabilities	0%	17%	27%	37%

Attendance

Attendance: Promote regular attendance and decrease disproportionality in attendance.

Attending school more than 90% of the time correlates strongly to long-term success in school and is an indicator of successful student and family engagement. This goal area aligns to the ISD Strategic Plan milestone of 9th Grade Success where attendance is a key metric.

Percent of Students who were Regular Attenders.	Spring 2023	Spring 2025 Target	Spring 2026 Target
All Students	82%	85%	88%
BIPOC Focus Group	68%	75%	82%
Students with Disabilities	69%	75%	82%

School-Based Action Plan

Programs and priorities listed below are being implemented, expanded or sustained during this 2-year SIP cycle at each of our elementary schools as part of the ISD Strategic Plan priorities and the establishment of Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). For this SIP cycle, schools will select 3 strategies, including the Implementation of Benchmark Advance Literacy, and at least one other from district-wide program or system listed, and describe their school’s implementation plan and strategies for monitoring impact. Be sure to relate actions plans to the 3 SIP goal areas.

Implementation of Benchmark Advance Literacy. Launch new literacy curriculum that integrates science of reading strategies with comprehension strategies for all students to engage in close reading of grade level text. ISD Priority 2a,c

Select 1-2 of the following to describe in further detail:

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Implementation of UDL as a framework of evidence-based, inclusive, and culturally responsive instructional practices for Tier 1. ISD Priority 2a

Tiered Teams. Implementation of a Tiered Team structure to examine integrated social-emotional and academic achievement data to adjust core instruction and/or intervention planning. ISD Priority 2b

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) / Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Maintaining or enhancing school-wide systems of support and social emotional learning to increase belonging, well-being, and create the conditions for learning. ISD Priority 1

Classroom-Based Intervention & Block Scheduling. Implementation of targeted supports, accommodations, and interventions (Tier 2) through classroom-based interventions, coordination of supplemental programs, in implementation of block scheduling. ISD Priority 2b

Inclusionary Practices. Collaboration and coordination of classroom teachers and special education staff to provide a comprehensive continuum of inclusive services within the least restrictive educational environment to ensure that all students reach their full potential. ISD Priority 2b

Multilingual Learners support. With the understanding that the whole day is an inclusive language learning experience for all students, collaboration and coordination of classroom teachers and multilingual learner specialists to deliver language acquisition strategies, ensure multilingual students have access to all instruction and learning, in a language intensive learning environment so that they achieve their full potential. ISD Priority 2b

Action	Implementation	Impact: Evidence/Monitoring
Implementation of Benchmark Advance Literacy	Training All staff will participate in ISD district training All teaching staff will meet on a determined schedule with the school implementation specialist Training parents through a literacy event in the fall to learn about Benchmark Advance and how they can support literacy at home Teaming Recommendation: describe how and how often teams commit to discuss Benchmark Advance assessment data and implications for implementation centered on the following questions: What do we want all students to know and be able to do? How do we know if they learn it? How are we responding when some students do not learn it? How do we extend learning when students demonstrate mastery? Integrity of Delivery Use of implementation goals provided by Benchmark / Teaching & Learning Services Collaboration in planning the literacy blocks Resources Allocation Implementation specialist (district) Dedicated staff meeting time to training & collaboration Commitment of team meeting time Note: it may make sense to revisit this after the August training	Intended Impacts Increase in reading decoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension Increase in proficiency with grammar, writing structure, and effective communication of ideas in writing Acceleration of achievement in key gap areas including phonics, overall reading, written expression Key Data i-Ready Phonics & Overall Reading Achievement of stretch growth goals / accelerated growth for students scoring below standard in fall/prior spring. Maintaining proficiency for students scoring at standard (level 3) in fall/prior spring. Progress as monitored through embedded assessments: Benchmark Performance Tasks Benchmark week 2 assessments for each unit RFS Assessments and Title/LAP progress monitoring
Classroom-Based Intervention & Block Scheduling	Block Scheduling Grade level teams have math success block at the same time Math and literacy at common grade level times to support push-in for supplemental services Training Participate in supports offered by Implementation Specialist (literacy) Participate in math instructional unit planning using UDL strategies PD on math foundational skills instruction to utilize during the math success block time Continued grade level collaboration and planning Staffing LRC teachers for each grade level team Built in time for collaboration and planning LRC and MLL push-in Implementation Specialist support 2.5 Title/LAP Intervention staff to support literacy and math groups across grade levels	Intended Impacts Closing achievement gaps Increased best practices Increased alignment among grade level teams Increased rigor to standards-based instruction Increased integration Increased time for all students to access core learning (push-in) Key Data i-Ready data Common assessments (new to Benchmark) Eureka mid and end-of-module assessments SBA data
Additional School Improvement Plan Components
Family engagement ISD Priority 4	Action Meet the Teacher Curriculum Night and Family Conferences Family Math Night PTA events throughout the school year Utilize family members to volunteer and support in classrooms and for field trip experiences Language Line, Alboum, Google Translate WaKIDS Connections Meetings in Kindergarten	Intended Impacts Increase sense of belonging Strengthen family – school relationships Key Data SAEBRS data Annual Family Survey 3-5 Grade Students Annual Survey
Technology Integration	Personalized Learning Teachers use district technology tools such as Seesaw, Book Creator, Microsoft tools, and Canva to present content in multiple ways and to allow students to demonstrate mastery using multiple means of expression. These adaptive learning platforms enable teachers to utilize Universal Design for Learning principles, which in turn help close gaps for students disproportionately impacted by one-size-fits-all instruction. Access to Resources Teachers use tech tools to provide widespread access to learning materials, including standards-aligned online lessons via Zearn, Benchmark, Amplify, or i-Ready, e-books via Learning Ally or Sora, or age-appropriate digital research databases such as PebbleGo or World Book Online. Access to these resources continues outside the school day, removing barriers for families and allowing students opportunities for additional review and practice of new skills and concepts. Assistive Technologies Teachers use tools like speech-to-text, screen readers, and customizable user interfaces help students with disabilities or language barriers to fully participate in learning, promoting inclusivity and equity. Project-Based and Creative Tools Sunset teachers utilize multimedia creation tools (Seesaw, Book Creator, Canva, Microsoft tools), coding environments (BrainPop coding, code.org), and collaborative software (Microsoft Teams, Book Creator) to give students varied ways to express learning. These foster creativity and give students from diverse backgrounds more opportunities to succeed beyond traditional methods.	Intended Impacts Increase student engagement in learning. Reduce barriers and provide access to learning. Key Data Track data on learning platform/digital tool usage through Clever i-Ready and Benchmark Assessments to track the impact on student learning Tracking academic outcomes for students who are using technology as part of a tier 2 intervention

Action

Implementation

Impact: Evidence/Monitoring

Implementation of Benchmark Advance Literacy

Training

All staff will participate in ISD district training
All teaching staff will meet on a determined schedule with the school implementation specialist
Training parents through a literacy event in the fall to learn about Benchmark Advance and how they can support literacy at home

Teaming

Recommendation: describe how and how often teams commit to discuss Benchmark Advance assessment data and implications for implementation centered on the following questions:

What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
How do we know if they learn it?
How are we responding when some students do not learn it?
How do we extend learning when students demonstrate mastery?

Integrity of Delivery

Use of implementation goals provided by Benchmark / Teaching & Learning Services
Collaboration in planning the literacy blocks

Resources Allocation

Implementation specialist (district)
Dedicated staff meeting time to training & collaboration
Commitment of team meeting time

Note: it may make sense to revisit this after the August training

Intended Impacts

Increase in reading decoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension
Increase in proficiency with grammar, writing structure, and effective communication of ideas in writing
Acceleration of achievement in key gap areas including phonics, overall reading, written expression

Key Data

i-Ready Phonics & Overall Reading
Achievement of stretch growth goals / accelerated growth for students scoring below standard in fall/prior spring.
Maintaining proficiency for students scoring at standard (level 3) in fall/prior spring.
Progress as monitored through embedded assessments:
- Benchmark Performance Tasks
- Benchmark week 2 assessments for each unit
- RFS Assessments and Title/LAP progress monitoring

Classroom-Based Intervention & Block Scheduling

Block Scheduling

Grade level teams have math success block at the same time
Math and literacy at common grade level times to support push-in for supplemental services

Training

Participate in supports offered by Implementation Specialist (literacy)
Participate in math instructional unit planning using UDL strategies
PD on math foundational skills instruction to utilize during the math success block time
Continued grade level collaboration and planning

Staffing

LRC teachers for each grade level team
Built in time for collaboration and planning
LRC and MLL push-in
Implementation Specialist support
2.5 Title/LAP Intervention staff to support literacy and math groups across grade levels

Intended Impacts

Closing achievement gaps
Increased best practices
Increased alignment among grade level teams
Increased rigor to standards-based instruction
Increased integration
Increased time for all students to access core learning (push-in)

Key Data

i-Ready data
Common assessments (new to Benchmark)
Eureka mid and end-of-module assessments
SBA data

Additional School Improvement Plan Components

Family engagement

ISD Priority 4

Action

Meet the Teacher
Curriculum Night and Family Conferences
Family Math Night
PTA events throughout the school year
Utilize family members to volunteer and support in classrooms and for field trip experiences
Language Line, Alboum, Google Translate
WaKIDS Connections Meetings in Kindergarten

Intended Impacts

Increase sense of belonging
Strengthen family – school relationships

Key Data

SAEBRS data
Annual Family Survey
3-5 Grade Students Annual Survey

Technology Integration

Personalized Learning

Teachers use district technology tools such as Seesaw, Book Creator, Microsoft tools, and Canva to present content in multiple ways and to allow students to demonstrate mastery using multiple means of expression. These adaptive learning platforms enable teachers to utilize Universal Design for Learning principles, which in turn help close gaps for students disproportionately impacted by one-size-fits-all instruction.

Access to Resources

Teachers use tech tools to provide widespread access to learning materials, including standards-aligned online lessons via Zearn, Benchmark, Amplify, or i-Ready, e-books via Learning Ally or Sora, or age-appropriate digital research databases such as PebbleGo or World Book Online. Access to these resources continues outside the school day, removing barriers for families and allowing students opportunities for additional review and practice of new skills and concepts.

Assistive Technologies

Teachers use tools like speech-to-text, screen readers, and customizable user interfaces help students with disabilities or language barriers to fully participate in learning, promoting inclusivity and equity.

Project-Based and Creative Tools

Sunset teachers utilize multimedia creation tools (Seesaw, Book Creator, Canva, Microsoft tools), coding environments (BrainPop coding, code.org), and collaborative software (Microsoft Teams, Book Creator) to give students varied ways to express learning. These foster creativity and give students from diverse backgrounds more opportunities to succeed beyond traditional methods.

Intended Impacts

Increase student engagement in learning.
Reduce barriers and provide access to learning.

Key Data

Track data on learning platform/digital tool usage through Clever
i-Ready and Benchmark Assessments to track the impact on student learning
Tracking academic outcomes for students who are using technology as part of a tier 2 intervention

School Improvement Team & Procedure Information

Principal	LeAnn Tuupo
SIP Team Members	Christine Vo, Assistant Principal, Kaeleigh Wilson, MTSS Specialist, Leilani Kollasch, Implementation Specialist, Jodi Skroch, Kinder Teacher, Jenny McKenny, 1^st grade Teacher, Marie Blakely-Arthur, 2^nd grade Teacher, Jenny Rodabough, 3^rd grade Teacher, Marissa Grace, 4^th grade Teacher, Kiera Brunson, 5^th Grade Teacher
Supervisor Review	Susan Mundell, November 14, 2024
Site Council or PTSA Review	October 2024
School Board Review	December 3, 2024

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School Improvement Plan

What is a School Improvement Plan?

Key Points of a SIP:

Sunset Elementary School Improvement Plan

2024-2026

Strengths, Challenges, & Opportunities

What school strengths support belonging, well-being, and learning?

Highlight 3-5 strengths of your school and how those strengths foster belonging, wellbeing and learning.

What challenges are you working to address, especially in closing gaps?

Based on your data and observations, describe 2-3 of the challenges you hope to address through school improvement? Be sure to address areas of gap closure.

What future opportunities will you use to improve and address inequities?

Describe 2-3 opportunities in the coming years your school can leverage for this school improvement plan and to address disproportionality?

Root Cause and Contributing Factors of Disproportionality

Reflection & Theory of Action

What new practices are improving student achievement, and how are you tracking their impact?

Based on previous School Improvement Planning & Tiered Fidelity Inventories, describe 1-2 systems, structures or practices recently introduced or expanded that shows promise for student achievement and will be continued? What impact are you observing? What data are you using to monitor impact?

What steps are you taking to address inequities in student achievement?

What proactive steps is your school taking through this school improvement plan to disrupt predictable patterns, actively dismantle institutional racism, and address the disproportionality in academic achievement among students of different backgrounds?

Backed by Data

Literacy

Literacy: Increase achievement and decrease disproportionality in literacy.

Math

Math: Increase achievement and decrease disproportionality in Mathematics.

Attendance

Attendance: Promote regular attendance and decrease disproportionality in attendance.

School-Based Action Plan

School Improvement Team & Procedure Information