Don't bet against tiny Bridgeport and its impressive strides on WASL

The Bridgeport School District is at the cross hairs of two important issues — state assessment testing and a growing, non-English-speaking population.

About two hours' drive north of Wenatchee off Highway 17, the tiny School District might well be among candidates for the "most improved" award, considering its Washington Assessment of Student Learning performance.

Last spring, 62.1 percent of fourth-graders met WASL standards in reading — a fourfold improvement from 1997. Fifty percent passed the math portion, up from just 6.5. And 29.3 percent met writing standards, double the 1997 score.

Some people might scoff at those numbers. The 2005 statewide average, after all, is 79.5 percent of fourth-graders meet the standard in reading, 60.8 percent in math and 57.7 percent in writing.

But look behind Bridgeport's numbers, and the district seems to be pulling off some measure of miracle. Bridgeport was among 10 Washington districts highlighted in a League of Education Voters publication in January. Washington State University's magazine also featured the district in its spring edition.

The district is poor — about 86 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-cost lunches. A bigger challenge for the district's teachers is that 88 percent of the 700-strong student body speak Spanish as their first language. Another challenge is the immigration status of many students.

I met Bridgeport Superintendent Gene Schmidt three years ago in Olympia when he brought some students to lobby lawmakers — successfully — on behalf of a bill that would charge state college-bound students without legal-resident status the same tuition legal residents are charged. He told me a story about the summer-school session, when one day he was amazed to see only five to seven students out of about 200 show up for school. Turns out a rumor that federal immigration officials were in town kept more kids home than flu season.

Schmidt eschews the political discussion surrounding federal immigration reform. He shares the anecdote to explain the realities facing his and other rural districts.

When I called him last week, school staff pulled the superintendent off the sidelines of the Mustangs' soccer game and out of a Seattle-style rainstorm. The district's job is to educate all, he says.

"We are not going to let our young people's poverty or ethnicity or background hurt their future," Schmidt said.

He waxes enthusiastic about the district's hard-won successes, spreading credit like peanut butter — from the high school principal who has a mock graduation ceremony for freshmen, challenging them to meet in the same place four years later, to the mayor who has partnered with the district on sidewalk grants.

Rob MacGregor, assistant superintendent of school improvement in the state school superintendent's office, notes the district's data-driven approach to education, augmented with the keen involvement of its board and community, is something other districts can emulate.

"They know their data and have made decisions based on the data and aligned their curriculum (to state standards) and to meet the needs of their kids," he says.

"They have really embraced the belief that all kids can learn."

With money short, the Bridgeport district aggressively seeks federal, state and private grants — about $830,000 worth this school year, or 13 percent of the total budget. By comparison, the district's voter-approved levy is only $95,000.

The elementary school emphasizes students get off to a good academic start. That means full-time kindergarten for everyone and focus on reading, especially in kindergarten through third grade where reading coaches interact daily with teachers. The district's new alternative high school captures students who might otherwise have dropped out.

What I find most impressive about Bridgeport is the unwillingness of the community to give up despite the challenges of poverty and language fluency. Sure, the test scores still have room for improvement. But considering the district's track record and approach, I wouldn't bet against Bridgeport or its students.

Kate Riley's e-mail address is kriley@seattletimes.com