No public comment. 

Committee attendees introduced themselves and the agenda for the meeting was reviewed. 

Prior to the meeting, the Committee submitted a series of questions and received responses on topics related to instructional practice, coaching, ethnic studies, Edmentum use in courses lacking an appropriately credentialed teacher and AI. In their follow-up discussion, the Committee emphasized the importance of monitoring Edmentum cohorts and requested that additional clarity on the school’s AI policy and plans to be presented at a future board meeting. Discussion further included questions about how US student schedules are built.

The Committee discussed faculty coaching practices, noting that coaching continues to center on the school’s vision and encourages opportunities for productive struggle in the classroom. Leadership shared that teachers have been open to coaching this year, with an emphasis on empowering students through questioning, guiding, and checking for understanding rather than providing direct answers. Coaching has also focused on ensuring students have dedicated “time in text” to strengthen reading comprehension within ELA courses.The Committee commended the coaching approach and expressed support for the implementation of the grade floor as a step toward equitable grading practices. Members also acknowledged the ongoing work to revamp the SPED model to emphasize inclusion and reduce pull-out interventions, recognizing that this shift will take time to fully establish. After reviewing the data on coaching, the Committee expressed appreciation for the efforts of staff leading these initiatives, especially those new to MWA.

The Committee heard about upcoming state graduation requirements mandating courses in both Ethnic Studies and Financial Literacy. MWA already offers a year-long Ethnic Studies program, exceeding the required semester model, and conversations are ongoing about how to align with the new requirements. Updates were shared regarding the CCC’s continued efforts to provide students with access to career fairs and scholarship opportunities beyond MWA and MWEF. Career readiness pilots are currently being implemented in grades 8 and 11.

So far this year, students have participated in ten college and career-related trips, with additional trips planned. The week of October 20 will feature College and Career Week, offering events that expose students to a variety of college and career pathways. The Committee will send follow-up questions at a later date due to time constraints.

The Committee discussed potential additional metrics to measure community engagement and positive culture, including the percentage of students participating in clubs and the number of applicants for the student board member position. The conversation also explored what integrated family engagement looks like at MWA and the ongoing efforts to standardize the cadence of information shared with families. A significant portion of the discussion focused on Tier 1 interventions and a recent staff training centered on this work. Tier 1 interventions are designed to occur both inside and outside the classroom as part of students’ daily experiences, while Tier 2 interventions involve small group check-ins based on specific participation criteria, focusing on social-emotional wellness. It was noted that while the school social worker supports a caseload of 13 students, there were 129 drop-ins during Quarter 1, underscoring the need for stronger Tier 1 and Tier 2 systems. The Coomittee discussed the importance of building faculty and staff understanding of restorative conversations and ensuring that SEL practices occur in all spaces where students learn and interact.

The Committee provided feedback on the current WASC drafts for the Chapter 1: Reflections on how we’ve done since our last self-study, and Chapter 2: Data analysis, noting typos and requesting additional explanations of the insights drawn from the data. Members emphasized the importance of ensuring the drafts reflect the Board’s overall perspective on the school’s progress since the last self-study and the "whys' behind the progress. Looking ahead, the Committee expressed anticipation for the results of 3: WASC Standards and Chapter 4: School-wide action plan.

The Committee requested a clearer version of one of the math resources from Goal 1: Support for All Learners, as well as additional information from the staff member unable to attend, will send any questions for Goal 2: College and Career Readiness, and looks forward to seeing continued progress made by the Student Support Services team with Goal 3: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The next iterations of the WASC drafts, including a draft of Chapter 3: WASC Standards will be shared in December's Regular Board Meeting.