The Highline Education Levy, approved by voters in 2021, pays for the support and training our teachers and instructional assistants need to provide students with high-quality instruction.
On a Tuesday in late March, instructional specialists from elementary schools across Highline came together to dig into how we support teachers, paraeducators and students with literacy learning in the classroom. Literacy is one of our four big priorities this year.
“This training helps us understand student data in real time and collaborate across schools to find what works. I bring ideas back to my team at Madrona so we can adjust instruction to meet our students’ needs — and accelerate reading growth,” said Delila Leber, dual language specialist at Madrona Elementary in SeaTac.
“We want to help teachers design learning that is joyful and engaging and meaningful to all students. So, we look at what works for other students, what works for our students at Madrona, and what works for each individual student.”
Dual language and multilingual students often have more complex reading data — in at least two languages. Instructional and language learning coaches focused on how to assess, track and use that data better to support differentiated instruction and next step reading goals.
“What do you know about each student, and what do they need next to keep their growth going?” asked the trainer.
Local levy funding makes this kind of targeted student support possible. Thank you, Highline voters, for your ongoing commitment to our students and public schools.
And thank you to Highline educators for helping students feel welcome, valued and safe so they can be open to academic experiences that engage, empower and challenge every student — starting with learning to read!
