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Instruction report highlights Mastery Prep rollout, rising dual-credit enrollment and new athletic-complex plans
Summary
District instructional staff told the Mercer County Board of Education that a new Mastery Prep program will replace the former platform and that dual-credit participation rose to 179 students last year; the high school principal described an athletic complex proposal the district is discussing.
The Mercer County Board of Education received an instruction update that included changes to the district’s test-preparation platform, rising dual-credit participation and early details about a proposed athletic complex at the high school.
Instructional staff said the district transitioned to a Mastery Prep program this school year, a three-part platform intended to support both SAT and ACT needs and to provide individualized interventions for students after periodic screeners. "The biggest part ... is it has these interventions built into it," Jason McAllister said, explaining that the screener administered three times per year will trigger individualized interventions.
Why it matters: the district is shifting assessment and intervention tools as Kentucky moves from the ACT to the SAT statewide testing system; staff said public reporting of some new accountability data will arrive in a phased schedule with additional releases in October and November.
Dual-credit and AP trends: the board heard that dual-credit participation has increased substantially over three years: in 2022–23, 96 students took 298 dual-credit classes; in 2023–24, 158 students took 550 classes; and in the most recent year 179 students took 637 dual-credit courses (about 1,800 college credit hours across those enrollments). At the same time, AP enrollment dropped from 153 students to 91, but pass rates rose: an earlier year showed a 39% AP pass rate (60 passing among 153 students) while the later year recorded a 76% pass rate among 91 AP students.
KSA/SAT timeline: McAllister told the board that preliminary state assessment returns are expected in stages, with the next batch of public reporting anticipated in October and broader public reporting in November; he identified Oct. 23 as a district "quality control day" for KSA results.
Athletic complex proposal: the high school principal discussed planning for an athletic complex and emphasized that the facility should be considered a multi-sport complex rather than solely a football field. "I wanted to make sure that I refer to it as an athletic complex and not a football field," the principal said, listing benefits the project could bring to band competitions, soccer, track and field, tennis and in-school weight-training classes. The principal also said on-site parking would improve administrative support at events and could reduce transportation costs tied to weightlifting classes.
Other instructional items: staff noted the CEP (Comprehensive Education Plan) was placed back on the consent agenda after state review required minor language cleanup, including a change in the teacher-evaluation cycle from a three-year to a five-year schedule for tenured teachers; staff said the changes were language clarifications and did not alter previously approved policy.
Next steps: the district will continue classroom visits and will monitor the initial performance screens from Mastery Prep and forthcoming state KSA/SAT releases. The athletic complex remains in planning; no funding or formal project approval is recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
