These continue to be areas of emphasis for us. Our administrators work daily with staff and parents to improve the overall learning atmosphere in our schools. We do not put up with classroom behavior that makes it impossible for kids to learn. The acquisition of basic skills, of course, is central to our mission. Our effort of the past several years to align our curriculum and instructional strategies with state reform is an example of our commitment to emphasize basic skills.
Evidence suggests that our efforts have been successful.
Fourth grade test scores on the WASL exam are above state averages, seventh grade scores are improving, and the staff at YHS is spending considerable time and effort this year to modify courses and teaching methods to improve WASL opportunities for our sophomores. Clearly, we have a long journey ahead to achieve the new, tough, state standards, but our progress is encouraging. Finally, engagement with the public is important. We do listen and we do react. Our public wants safe schools, well-disciplined classrooms, and kids who leave our system with the ability to read, write, compute and think.