Around the Schools
State of the District School Spotlight: West Seattle Elementary shows strong grains in math and reading
West Seattle Elementary illustrates the importance of the first of the Four Pillars of Success: Great Principals. Thanks to the leadership of Principal Vicki Sacco, the school moved from Level 1 (lowest level) on the District’s rating system in 2009-10 to Level 3 in 2010-11 and made Adequate Yearly Progress for the first time since 2004-05.
West Seattle’s improvement was due to student’s proficiency gains in math and reading in Grades 3-5. In math, for example, students in Grade 3 improved from 40 percent meeting standard in spring 2010 to 59 percent meeting standard in spring 2001; students in Grade 4 improved from 16 percent to 33 percent; and students in Grade 5 improved from 6.9 percent to 39 percent.
Principal Sacco said West Seattle Elementary strives to provide a nurturing but rigorous school environment.
“We have a strong focus on developing a culture of learning among our students,” she noted. “This begins by establishing expectations for student behavior in school, and continues by acknowledging students’ academic improvement.”
Photo courtesy of Patrick Robinson, West Seattle Herald
When the West Seattle Herald interviewed Vicki Sacco, principal of West Seattle Elementary, in August 2010, she said she wanted to transform West Seattle Elementary into a school of excellence and make it the pride of the community.