District reports mixed gains in student belonging and self-efficacy from Panorama survey

The Vancouver School Districts study session on May 19 included an in-depth presentation of spring Panorama student-perception survey results, which district staff said showed modest gains in some areas and clear opportunities in others.

Interim Associate Superintendent Ephraim and directors Christian and Brian Graham told the board the survey (administered in March) had 71.7% participation across grades 312. The presenters said the district-wide elementary favorable score for belonging was 56% and that elementary results place the district near the 60th national percentile for comparable elementary programs. Middle- and high-school favorable belonging each averaged about 50%.

The presentation emphasized question-level analysis as the most useful path to improvement. Staff highlighted adultssupport (66% favorable at elementary) as a relative strength and singled out student-perceived respect (44%) as an item that pulls down the overall belonging score. Presenters pointed to several school-level practices tied to gains, including guiding coalitions, instructional coaching, shared reading, explicit expectations, and targeted supports for multilingual learners.

Staff called out subgroup findings: Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native students were among groups exceeding the district average in belonging (about 62% in one report), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Asian students also showed favorable results in some grades, and multilingual and special-education student groups trended below or near the district average depending on grade band.

On self-efficacystudentssense of ability to complete work and retain learningthe district reported mixed results. Elementary items about remembering learning for next year improved, while several self-efficacy questions (completing hard work, handling all schoolwork) remain challenges. District leaders said school practices such as goal-setting, timely feedback and "productive struggle" lessons appear linked to improvements at specific sites.

Board members asked for examples and external comparisons; staff said they are exploring Panoramas playbook and regional case studies to identify replicable strategies. The presenters proposed continuing twice-yearly data dives, empowering school leadership teams to run local analysis with students, and spotlighting successful school practices for broader adoption.

The session concluded with the board thanking staff for the analysis and asking for follow-up reporting on which schools and practices show the strongest evidence of impact. The district said it will continue progress monitoring and return to the board with additional findings.