| State: Washington | Number of Students: 2,989 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 74.7% |
| Grade Level: PK-12 | English Language Learners: 37.8% |
School Context
Funding: Tukwila School District received $40 million from the federal Race to the Top grant in 2012 to be divided among a consortium of districts in the south Seattlearea to improve education in high-need schools and communities. $322,000 has already been allocated to Tukwila to supportits “cradle to career” initiative through a focus on kindergarten social and academic achievement, as well as college and careerpreparation programs at Showalter Middle School and Foster High School. They will also pilot ST Math through this grant. They also recieved $10.6 million from The School Programs and Operations Levy passed in February 2014. Funds from this levy will go to supportinstructional technology equipment and technology infrastructure, as well as basic building upgrades.
Academics: Each student will achieve one year’s academic growth each year. Under-performing students will achieve 1.5 years ofacademic growth each year.
Transition Time: The district hopes to focus on students in transition between elementary to middle school (grades 5-6), middleto high schools (grades 8-9) and high school to college. They will target 75% of students in transitional years (grades 5-6, 8-9,12-college) to meet standards in all subjects.
Intervention: The district hopes to identify students who are struggling early so they can do something about it. They plan toprovide interventions for students struggling with attendance, discipline, grades and other areas of concern.
Let’s Get Personal: The district plans to create individualized growth plans for students in grades 3-12, so that every student hasa clear understanding of how they learn best and get the differentiation they need.
Tech-literate: All students will meet the state-level technology standards and will be tech literate by the time they graduate.
State of Technology
A Device For Everyone: This year, the district is well on its way to equippingevery student with a device. Last year, it went 1:1 with Chromebooks in allthree of its elementary schools. This year, it’s the middle schoolers’ turn.And next year, the high school and K-2nd graders will receive their devices.While the district has favored Chromebooks with its recent rollouts, it is stillexamining the types of tools that are right for its high school. Currently, thedistrict has 2,400 Chromebooks and 1,500 Windows machines. The districtis evaluating the possibility of allowing students to take home their devices,although currently they must remain at school.
Infrastructure: Since beginning its 1:1 program, the district has alsocommitted itself to building a robust Wifi infrastructure. The district has builtaccess points to Wifi in each classroom that have the capacity to support upto 30 devices at once.
Language Matters: The district is no stranger to being lost in translation.Students in the district speak over 82 languages, many of whom are fromrefugee communities. The district has a lot of students for whom English istheir second language, and many who come to their schools without anyEnglish language skills at all. Because of this, language tools are a focus,and the district is constantly thinking about how to support this communitybetter.
GiGi In The House: The district is currently in the process of piloting ST Mathin kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Race to the Top grant.Classrooms of the Future: The district has a focus on creating 21stCentury Classrooms that allow students to take advantage of educationalresources on the internet. To do this, they have stocked each classroom witha Smartboard, an interactive audio system and interactive projectors. Theaudio equipment ensures that every student can hear instruction at all times.Interactive whiteboards give teachers the ability to create interesting lessons.The projection system lets students share and explain their work.
Tech Needs & Requirements
There is an inventory of software products that are alreadyapproved by the Curriculum Council. Software not on the inventory must be approved by theCurriculum Council as well as the Technology Department. Technology Department must approve compatibility andconsider upgrade policies of software prior to purchase. Instructional software should be aligned to EALRs (EssentialAcademic Learning Requirements). Must be cloud-based. The district currently needs device management solutions and English language learning and language acquisition tools.
Initiatives
Math: The district is currently piloting ST Math across all its kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms.