High School Updates

Amy has taken over leadership of the high school, focusing on stabilizing student behaviors and improving academic expectations.

Progress has been made in reducing disruptive behaviors and improving classroom management.

Challenges remain in raising academic expectations and improving curriculum and instruction.

Some staff turnover has occurred, viewed as necessary for improving overall school quality.

Parent communication has increased to address concerns about student performance and behavior.

The focus moving forward will be on improving curriculum, instruction, and teacher development.
Specific improvements are planned for January to set up success for the second half of the school year.

The committee discussed ways to support Amy and the high school during this transition period, recognizing the importance of the high school's success to the overall organization.

Middle School Q1 Report Review

The committee reviewed the middle school's first quarter data report, covering various strategic goals and metrics.
 

Organizational viability metrics were discussed, including budget, enrollment, and student retention.
 

The middle school was slightly over-enrolled, balancing out under-enrollment at the high school.
 

Student retention at the middle school was strong at 93%, exceeding the 90% goal.
 

Most student departures occurred in August due to family moves.
 

New processes for contacting families of departing students and filling open seats quickly were implemented.
 

A new core curriculum for English Language Arts (ELA) called Wit and Wisdom is showing promise.
 

MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) scores highlighted achievement gaps for students with disabilities and English language learners.

Subgroup disparities are now being tracked and communicated more openly to address them.
A strategy focusing on eight students per class for targeted improvement was implemented, though early results were limited.

A weekly college and career preparation seminar class for all students was launched.

Student survey results showed positive responses about college and career readiness, with most metrics meeting or approaching the 85% goal.

Staff surveys indicated strong support for the seminar program's impact on students.

The first student-led conferences were held, where students presented their academic progress to parents.

Staff survey results were positive, with high scores on professional development and inclusivity metrics.

Chronic absenteeism improved, with overall rates 4% lower than the previous year.

Students with disabilities continue to have significantly higher absenteeism rates, which remains a concern.

Suspension rates were low, with no significant disparities among subgroups, marking an improvement in anti-racism efforts.

Nicole to earmark the topic of whether the school can be "all things to all students" for discussion in a future meeting.