District summarizes academic ‘Goal 1’ work: curriculum rollout, algebra pilots, ESE and early‑grade focus

District teaching and learning leaders briefed the Polk County School Board on Oct. 14 about progress on the district’s Goal 1 strategic objectives, highlighting curriculum development, algebra pilots, expanded career/industry certification work, strengthened supports for students with disabilities (ESE), and an intensified focus on K–2 literacy and numeracy.

Tracy Collins, presenting with regional leaders, said the district has developed daily lesson‑level curriculum resources for all tested grades and expects materials for all tested grade levels and courses to be available by the end of the next school year. "By the end of next year, all tested content areas and all tested grade levels and courses will have this, all this material for it," Collins said.

Collins credited a multi‑year shift in planning and alignment, and singled out a district effort to create unit assessments and “ladder lessons” to close skill gaps before teaching grade‑level material. For Algebra I, district staff are piloting a double‑block model in selected schools to compress Algebra 1A/1B into a single year while providing targeted pretesting and skill ladders. "Instead of having Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B over two years, we're double‑blocking 1A," an instructional leader said; the approach pairs intensive classroom support with mini unit assessments that function as interim checkpoints.

On graduation and career pathways, district presenters said graduation rates have improved following focused data work and targeted outreach; the district is tracking industry certification growth (a reported 40% increase over two years in one measure) and pursuing better disaggregated data to show access for students with IEPs and 504 plans.

Collins described an expanded effort to raise outcomes for students with disabilities and noted new professional learning for principals and assistant principals on least restrictive environment (LRE) practices and implementation monitoring. "Many of them didn't know LRE…They certainly didn't know how to pull it," Collins said of administrators; the district has required sample reviews of IEP implementation to reveal gaps and train leaders to monitor staff compliance.

District staff also described a concentrated program to support English language learners using WIDA can‑do descriptors built into the ELA curriculum and an early‑grade push to increase instructional monitoring and expectations in K–2, noting that PM (progress monitoring) data now includes K–2 measures to spot trends earlier.

Board members asked for comparative data with peer districts, mid‑year indicators for algebra pilots and clearer disaggregations for industry certification and IEP-related access. Staff said pilot monitoring occurs every other Friday and that the board will receive a mid‑year update (January) when PM‑2 data are available. No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational.