Celebrating Student Academic Growth and Success!

 

Academic Highlights

The beginning of the year is always a celebration in Shawnee Mission, and the academic success of Shawnee Mission students in the 2026-27 school year is giving even more reason for the community to cheer.

Pam Lewis, associate superintendent of leadership and learning, helped announce the accomplishments to the community. 

In math, students scoring at proficient and advanced levels increased by more than 4%. In reading, students score well above the state average, with an increase of nearly 3%.

“When we dive into grade-level data, we are seeing even more success!” Lewis explained.

Every grade level either gained or sustained achievement in reading, math, and science with nearly all grade levels increasing proficiency at a rate greater than the corresponding statewide percentage. At all five middle schools, students made gains across the board in math.

“We are so proud of our students for always striving for their personal best and our compassionate and talented teachers who provide high-quality instruction every day,” she shared.

Accreditation and Wildly Important Goals

During the August 10 Board of Education meeting, Lewis and Dr. Matthew Andersen, assistant director of curriculum and instruction, highlighted what educators do year- round to support many of these outcomes. They showcased the district’s accreditation process and celebrated that the district has been accredited for the next year. The educators highlighted teacher collaboration methods and instructional strategies. The presentation also outlined two “Wildly Important Goals” such as work focused on increasing student attendance and improving graduation rates. Principals Jessica Risinger, Rising Star Elementary and Martha Mendoza, Westridge Middle School spoke about how these approaches support student success.

“Everything we do is a micro move that produces a big impact,” Risinger shared.

Examples of High-Quality Instruction

Later in the meeting, Jason Peres, executive director of curriculum and instruction, illustrated what high-quality instruction looks like in the classroom.

“We believe that in the Shawnee Mission School District, every student, every lesson, every single day deserves to engage in high-quality instruction,” he shared.

One of the first methods that supports this type of instruction is Clear Communication and feedback between teachers and students. Whether in the process of a lesson or assessment, teachers provide critical communication in formal and informal ways so students understand how they are doing on their way to reach an academic goal. He shared examples of teachers creating white board displays to help students through concepts that might be confusing at first, as well as students and teachers actively tracking student progress together. He shared pictures of an elementary student using a data notebook to track his own fluency and progress in learning.

A second component of high-quality instruction is Learning Progression. He talked about strategies teachers use to help them think about what it is teachers want them to learn. One example he shared was students, both at the elementary and high school level, working together on a white board to solve a math problem. This puts kids in a position where they are thinking precisely about that which we want them to learn,” he added.

He then highlighted the importance of Conditions for Learning. SMSD educators envision every classroom being a space where students feel safe, have a voice, are engaged, and know routines and procedures. In one example, he shared a photo of a teacher using physical movement to help students talk about learning concepts. He also highlighted the role technology plays in high-quality instruction. “Technology is merely a tool that our teachers are going to use when the time is right,” he said. “...it is learning that drives the outcomes for our students, not technology. We will always work on learning and leverage technology when needed.”

These examples of success and the strategies used to support student achievement illustrate how we are ONE Shawnee Mission Building Tomorrow Together.