MARYSVILLE – Students can’t learn if they are not in class, so the Marysville School District is doing what it can to keep them there.

Compared with other districts statewide, the number of students who have been expelled or suspended is lower.

Jack Monpas-Huber, director of assessment and student information, talked about the numbers at a district work session May 18.

In looking at the statistics, Monpas-Huber said 3 percent of students were either suspended or expelled in 2013, compared with 2.5 percent in 2014.

“I know at Tulalip they are trying hard not to suspend kids because they have seen that does not work,” school board member Pete Lundberg said.

Monpas-Huber said one of the things looked at in the report is whether the number of students disciplined is disproportionate to the enrollment numbers for that group.

For example, statewide, black students were overrepresented in disciplined students. Despite having 2.2 percent of the student population, they were disciplined at a rate of 6 percent.

“But other districts were more disproportionate,” Monpas-Huber said. “That issue needs to be attended to.”

For native students, only one district statewide hit the mark, although Marysville was close.

“What can we do to split that gap,” Monpas-Huber asked.

For special education students, Marysville was closer to goal than any other district. For English language learners, Marysville was barely above goal, but many districts were doing better.

As for next steps, Monpas-Huber said the district should look at the information by school and engage principals and leadership teams in discussions, with the overall goal to reduce disproportionately.

One method already being used to help with discipline is positive behavior intervention. When students know what the expectations are, and they are rewarded for that behavior, it makes for a better learning environment.

“The first priority is to keep kids in class,” school board member Chris Nation said.

Regarding disproportionality, he said: “I’m encouraged how close to the line we are. I thought it was a little worse.”

At the school board meeting:

• Liberty Elementary School Principal Gloria Henderson and staff talked about how data is used to form small groups for accelerate learning. Groups are then re-formed every six weeks, depending on new data. One class where 50 percent of the students were below grade level earlier in the year now only has one student at that mark. Along with academics, the school is improving behaviorally thanks to Eagle tickets. They are given out to students who make good choices; rewards include popcorn and a movie. They have data on which days students have the most behavior problems, so teachers can plan accordingly. Students are also taught that setbacks are important to learning and success. “You are resilient, thinking through problems,” Lundberg told the staff.

• The board agreed to spend $346,526 on Naviance, a company that provides online curriculum to help students plan for the future. It provides a pathway for four years for college and career readiness. The contract is for five years.