Data and Research

Overview

The Data & Research Team works closely with district leaders, school administrators, teachers, and other key staff to identify data needs, interpret results, and implement data-driven improvements.

Purpose

Gather comprehensive student data from various sources like standardized tests, attendance records, demographics, and classroom assessments to create a robust data system.
Utilize statistical methods to analyze data trends, identify patterns, and draw meaningful conclusions about student achievement, program effectiveness, and school climate.
Conduct research projects and program evaluations to assess the impact of educational initiatives and inform future decision-making.
Present findings clearly to stakeholders through reports, presentations, and dashboards, enabling them to understand data insights and make informed decisions.

Assessments

Assessments are given during predetermined windows throughout the school year to monitor student and teacher progress.

District and statewide assessments help ensure all public school students, no matter where they go to school, receive a quality education. By evaluating data, districts and schools decide which teaching practices and curricula best support student understanding of the Washington State Learning Standards.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires states to have their assessment programs approved for technical quality by the U.S. Department of Education and is part of an accountability system.

Assessment results also provide families valuable information about how well their child is doing and where more help might be needed. District and state assessments are administered throughout the year based on each school’s calendar.

WARNS and Barriers to Attendance Assessments

The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS) and Barriers to Attendance assessments are structured tools used by schools to understand why students may be missing class.

WARNS (junior high and high school students) identifies risk factors in areas such as family, school, peers, substance use, mental health, and attitudes toward authority, while the Barriers to Attendance (elementary students) survey focuses more specifically on obstacles that prevent regular attendance—such as transportation challenges, health concerns, caregiving responsibilities, or disengagement from school.

The primary purpose of recognizing barriers to school attendance, by means of a formal assessment, is to identify the root causes of student absenteeism and develop targeted, non-punitive interventions to help students get to school and succeed academically.

Understanding these barriers — which can include health, transportation, family challenges, and disengagement from school — allows educators to implement tailored supports and build partnerships with families and community resources to create equitable learning environments where all students can attend regularly.

District-Level

Puyallup School District develops and/or selects all district required assessments.

These include but are not limited to:

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
STAR Reading
STAR Math
Math Computational Fluency

State and Federal

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) develops and/or selects all state and federal assessments.

These include, but are not limited to:

OSPI also reports achievement data for students, schools, districts, and the state.

Graduation Requirements

The state legislature passes laws that determine graduation requirements.

One requirement is to pass certain exit exams, or state-approved alternatives.

Bridge to College Courses

If a student scores 3 or 4 on a high school Smarter Balanced test, that student may use this score to avoid placement testing and costly remedial courses upon acceptance into over 200 universities, community, or technical colleges.