Superintendent Jerre Holmes told KPCW mathematics have historically been a point of pride in North Summit.
“Math builds upon itself, and we just have a good progression from year to year as students move on to the next grade level,” he said. "You'd have to say that our teachers have something to do with that ... we're extremely pleased.”
Based on standardized test data, 61% of North Summit School District Students are proficient at math, about 15% more than the state average.
North Summit students are also improving their math test scores more quickly than students with similar abilities elsewhere in Utah.
Where the school district is lagging is in English learning. Only 6% of the 1,000-student district is classified as an English learner—meaning they’re learning the language from scratch.
Within that demographic, only 1 in 5 made “adequate progress,” as measured by state educators, last school year.
Holmes said the district is not just focused on helping those students learn English, but it's also helping their teachers learn Spanish.
“We know that we have to be able to still communicate, even with simple phrases, what we're asking them to do,” he said. “We have devices where students can put an earpiece in and it translates it for them. It's not a perfect system, but it does help.”
He adds that the district is directing teacher’s aides to work directly with English learners in the classroom, with the hope of seeing improvement next year.
Most of North Summit’s English learners are in elementary school. There are not enough English learners in North Summit’s middle or high schools to collect usable data.
The district’s report card also reflects a high level of preparedness for postsecondary studies. The graduation rate is nearly 90%.
However, less than 1 in 4 enroll directly in college. Holmes said it’s a difficult number to accurately measure: students may take a gap year, start work immediately or serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Utah State Board of Education hands out school report cards to help parents see how their local district is doing. The districts themselves get more in-depth data than the public does, due in part to student privacy laws.
