The academic goals for next year are included in the state of the school presentations below. 

Guest Presenters: TJ Hebert - Middle School Principal and Kori Alston - High School Principal 

Rachel provided an overview of recent state-of-the-school presentations conducted at both schools, emphasizing their purpose in aligning staff with organizational goals post-pandemic recovery efforts.

Middle School Academic Goals and Performance

TJ discussed academic performance goals, including achieving specific standards in math and writing, as well as homework completion rates. He highlighted the progress made by students in meeting these goals and shared individual success stories to illustrate the impact of focused efforts on student achievement. 

TJ outlined the goal of achieving 75% or higher growth in math map scores for students. He provided detailed statistics on the growth achieved by different grade levels and emphasized the significant progress made by seventh-grade math students. Individual student success stories were also shared to demonstrate substantial improvements. 

The discussion centered around ensuring that all classrooms master specific procedures aligned with Veritas Prep's mission. TJ highlighted achievements related to this goal, such as improved routine and consistency throughout the school year, along with a focus on early college readiness for middle school students. 

Following successes, there was an opportunity for reflection among teachers and staff regarding what resonated with them and what needs to be done for future success at Veritas Prep. The challenges identified included low academic achievement trends over time, significantly low homework averages across grades, and engaging all students effectively to leverage their Veritas Prep experience towards college and career readiness. 

Ann sought clarification regarding predictive assessments like At (Assessment) compared to MCAST scores. TJ explained that At is considered predictive of MCAST proficiency but acknowledged a slight difference between both assessments historically due to various factors such as alignment issues post-COVID-19 disruptions. Amy suggested moving forward with strategic goals discussion led by Coy after addressing any remaining questions about TJ's presentation. 

TJ discussed receiving feedback from the school improvement team regarding the presentation. The team suggested being more honest about current achievement levels and requested quarterly data reports structured similarly to the presentation for staff review. Rachel added that there were focused reflections on successes, such as implementing science curriculum and reducing chronic absenteeism, during the discussion. 

Lisa raised a point about teacher performance not being reflected in the goals outlined, emphasizing a correlation between teacher performance and student outcomes. TJ explained that they aimed to shift focus towards student outcomes over teacher outcomes this year but acknowledged the need to find a middle ground.

High School Academic Goals and Performance

Kori provided an overview of high school goals including increasing academic achievement in core subjects, establishing a culture of engagement and support, as well as preparing students for college success through early college classes. 

Rebecca questioned whether early college preparation was adequately addressed at Veritas Prep High School. Kori mentioned that everything about their high school program is connected to what they are doing at the college level. 

Kori emphasized the importance of college and career readiness for students, highlighting the extensive programming offered by the college and career readiness team. The programs include visits to colleges, career fairs, and extracurricular activities aimed at preparing students for their future. Kori also discussed specific success rates in core classes such as English 9 and 10th-grade math, indicating a positive trend towards meeting academic goals. 

Kori provided an overview of academic performance metrics, focusing on achieving a goal of 85% of students with a C- or higher in ELA, math, science, and history. Specific success rates were highlighted for English 9 (86.5%) and ninth-grade math (88.7%), showing improvement in mastery across various subjects. 

The discussion delved into mastery levels based on individual standards within subjects like geometry compared to other courses due to differences in teacher experience with the curriculum. It was noted that investment is being made to support teachers' mastery of the curriculum during summer break. 

The presentation included an analysis of student growth from initial assessments to subsequent ones across different subjects such as English and Math. Notable examples were shared where students showed significant improvement from their first assessment attempt to their second one. 

Efforts were made towards establishing a culture of engagement through surveys aiming for high percentages (90%) reflecting positive student responses regarding engagement support accountability; however reaching only up till 72%. The need was identified to diversify college & career programming further based on neutral survey responses. 

Nolan's journey exemplified how mentorship led him from lacking motivation without clear goals to achieving substantial academic progress through personalized coaching efforts focused on his mental state & goal setting resulting in improved GPA & successful completion of college courses. 

Enrollment data reflected alignment with student demographics within college courses except some small groups while surpassing goals set for access percentages among ninth graders (51%) taking first college class & tenth graders (78%). Additionally highlighting that all students passed earning credit during their first semester at an impressive rate. 

Kori discussed the progress of students with disabilities, highlighting that 25% of rising juniors are currently taking their last high school classes and will transition to full-time college students next year. Additionally, she mentioned the challenges faced in meeting certain goals related to course performance by different demographics, elopement rates, community engagement scores, and referrals. Amy also emphasized similar challenges in the presentation format. 

Rachel and Amy sought feedback on how much detail should be presented during upcoming board meetings regarding data analysis from previous academic years' performance metrics including SWOT analysis results which might not be relevant anymore due to changes since then.

Andrea suggested incorporating student stories alongside high-level data overviews for impactful presentations. 

Lisa recommended including one example each of success and challenge from both high school and middle school levels while also considering teacher feedback as part of the presentation strategy. 

The team deliberated on what to present to the board, focusing on providing a mix of student stories along with an overview of strategic goals. They considered showcasing one example each from both academic success and challenge at different school levels while incorporating teacher feedback into their presentation strategy. Lisa proposed integrating teacher stories into future presentations as a means to uplift morale within educational institutions. Amy agreed with this suggestion for future considerations.