23-06-2025
Tri-Cities school is one of ‘lowest achievers' in WA. What's being done about it?
Kennewick School District will be under increased scrutiny to improve student outcomes over the next three years at Amistad Elementary School, recently identified as one of Washington's 'persistently lowest-achieving schools.'
The Washington State Board of Education in April designated Kennewick as a 'Required Action District,' meaning the district and school this fall will undergo increased accountability measures, as well as receive additional support and resources — having requested upwards of $600,000 — in order to improve math and reading scores.
This comes after the school participated in a required academic performance audit and began an improvement process with the community this school year.
The school has scored in the lowest 10% statewide in both academic growth and proficiency in recent years, and has a high population of traditionally underserved students.
For example, 33% of Amistad students tested at or above grade-level knowledge in English and 36% in math, per the 2023-24 Smarter Balanced Assessment. The test is given to students in third, fourth and fifth grades, and reflects the percent of students on track for college-level learning.
A separate 2023-24 assessment of English Language learners showed just 38% were making progress, with 6% graduating out of services.
The school serves about 690 students in neighborhoods west of downtown Kennewick. Nearly 9 in 10 are from low-income backgrounds, and half are English language learners. About 1 in 5 are children of migrant workers.
Amistad is the only Tri-Cities school that will be under RAD designation come fall.
At the same time, school staff here have already been working diligently in recent months to close opportunity gaps. Amistad was one of 406 public schools recognized by the Board of Education during the 2023-24 school year for closing gaps in comprehensive education.
Superintendent Traci Pierce says that's a distinction only given to 16% of the state's schools.
'With the RAD designation, additional state funding is supposed to be allocated to help strengthen and support the improvement efforts underway. We are still awaiting word from OSPI regarding whether this funding will be allocated, given the budget cuts occurring at the state level. We are hopeful that we will receive this crucial funding,' Pierce told the Herald in a statement.
'The district is committed to supporting the Amistad staff and administration, and we have provided additional administrative support for next year to help expand family engagement efforts and student support efforts to help the school continue their excellent work in improving supports and outcomes for students,' she continued.
School Board President Gabe Galbraith said he's confident leadership of the school and district will do what's best for students and move them in the right direction.
RAD is an OSPI accountability designation that provides specific supports to the state's highest needs schools identified through the Washington School Improvement Framework. It's focused on improvement, and there doesn't appear to be any repercussions if schools slip further behind.
Schools undergo progress monitoring four times a year, receive additional funding to implement improvement activities and hire additional staff, and get more training support from the state.
The state's improvement framework considers both academic achievement and student growth percentile in English and math, as well as graduation, English language progress, school quality and student success to determine tiered support.
Other schools given the RAD designation for the 2025-26 school year include:
Nespelem Elementary in Nespelem School District.
Evergreen Elementary in Shelton School District.
Soap Lake Middle and High School in Soap Lake School District.
Edna Travis Elementary in Tacoma School District.
RAD work is paired with federal requirements under the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act. OSPI is mandated by federal law to update Improvement Framework to identify schools that need this additional support.
To ensure Amistad is on track to improve education outcomes, the district will measure student growth on multiple standardized assessments; create opportunities of engagement to increase attendance rates, lower cases of discipline and increase family participation; and measure the impact of new job-embedded teacher training.
Amistad's audit occurred between November and December, said Alyssa St. Hilaire, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning.
It examined several variables, including school leadership, performance of different student groups, feeder patterns, communication and collaboration, and teacher training.
An external report identified three priority areas: Improving staff, student and family engagement; improving curriculum, instruction and assessment; and more targeted support for English learners and early literacy development.
A comprehensive needs assessment listed in Amistad's school improvement plan for next school year shows several spaces for improvement.
Hispanic and Latino students, who make up 70% of students, have disproportionate graduation success rates, are underrepresented in dual credit options and struggle more with chronic absenteeism.
Black students and males are over represented in behavioral referrals, underscoring 'the need for culturally responsive teaching practices, increased awareness of implicit bias, and proactive measures to address inequities.'
Overall, during the 2023-24 school year, Amistad had the highest case load of student discipline among elementary schools.
The school also has an 'imbalance of representation of diverse groups among certified staff (teachers, counselors, education specialists).' Of Amistad's 49 teachers, 27 are white, 21 are Hispanic and one is Native American.
Teacher retention rates are also lower than district average, indicating high position turnover.
'High-need schools like Amistad often face recruitment and retention challenges due to competitive job markets and cost-of-living concerns, making it difficult to attract and retain experienced educators,' a district report to OSPI reads.
'Working conditions — such as students and families with a lot of supports that come with first generation English learners and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged families — can lead to burnout and higher turnover rates.'
