Dear Families, Educators, and Communities,
As the new superintendent of LKSD, I, along with the Regional School Board, send our greetings and excitement for the school year. With the school year now well underway, it is a good time to remind ourselves of the foundational importance of education and to renew and sharpen our focus on supporting students' educational success.
The District's mission, established by the Regional School Board, is "to ensure bilingual, culturally appropriate, and effective education for all students, thereby providing them with the opportunity to be responsible, productive citizens." To realize this mission, the Board, in concert with educators, communities, and state agencies, has established a comprehensive framework of resources and learning opportunities for all students, kindergarten through 12th grade. To focus the effective use of those resources, the Board has established four Key Measures of Success, which are monitored and reported annually. Those measures are:
- Academic Achievement
- Attendance Rate
- Graduation Rate
- Yugtun and Cugtun Proficiency
Academic Achievement: Reading, Language, and Mathematics
LKSD has made both math and language arts proficiency a priority, as evidenced by the goal in our key measures. Yet, while some students are achieving proficiency, a large majority are not. Therefore, to support overall student achievement, language proficiency has become a key focus. In 2022, the Alaska State Legislature passed the Alaska Reads Act. In alignment with that law, LKSD is providing intensive reading intervention to students in grades K-3 who need extra help to achieve reading proficiency by the end of the third grade. Reading assistance is based on a multi-tiered system of support that includes evidence-based reading instruction and intervention methods. The district's selected literacy screener, DIBELS 8th edition, has been administered to all students in grades K-3. Individualized reading improvement plans (iRIPs) are now being created in response to each student's specific reading needs, and parent notifications are being provided. All schools are working to adjust schedules to provide for Tier II and Tier III interventions, in and outside of the school day. As students gain proficiency in language, we are confident they will also gain proficiency in math and other content areas.
More information about the Alaska Reads Act is available from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development: https://education.alaska.gov/akreads.
Attendance Rate
The importance of attendance in relationship to achievement in school cannot be overstated. Parents and students who are committed to regular attendance are to be commended for taking responsibility for learning and for building strong pathways for success in school and for the future. Regular attendance, keeping up with schoolwork, participating in activities, and feeling part of the classroom and school communities produce a positive sense of achievement and well-being. Teachers, administrators, and education support professionals are eager and committed to recognizing and supporting strong attendance. I encourage parents and students to share in that commitment and to partner with educators to maximize learning, well-being, and achievement through strong and regular attendance.
Graduation Rate
Simply put, graduation rates depend upon students successfully moving along learning pathways, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through the 12th grade. It is important to note that attendance rates in kindergarten and early grade levels strongly correlate with continued successful learning along those pathways and eventual graduation, while poor attendance in those early grades reduces the likelihood of success in school. Graduation rates will increase as attendance rates and language proficiency rates increase.
Yugtun and Cugtun Proficiency
For many students in LKSD, Yugtun and Cugtun proficiency are essential components of a full and healthy sense of cultural identity and key to students' overall well-being. With that in mind, in accordance with extensive research into the most effective dual-language programs, the district provides a dual-language program in English and Yugtun (Yup'ik). An important addition to the program is the development of a comprehensive Yugtun/Cugtun language assessment (the YPQC), which measures K-6 students' speaking, listening, reading, and writing proficiency, as well as their non-verbal communication and their Yup'ik worldview. As students progress toward Yugtun/Cugtun language proficiency, the YPQC provides valuable information for educators on how to strengthen teaching and learning and emphasizes the importance of connecting with community language and cultural knowledge to further support student achievement.
In its various forms, whether it be in Yup'ik ways of making meaning through language and culture or in gaining understanding of and access to the larger world, for which the English language is essential, education is the foundation for students' ongoing success and opportunities. I am excited about the possibilities for an outstanding year for LKSD students, a year full of learning and achievement.
Let's all work together to make this a great year!
Thank you.
- Hannibal Anderson
Superintendent, Lower Kuskokwim School District