Rogers Elementary principal presents unified improvement plan after DIBELS participation shortfall

Jennifer Morell, principal of Rogers Elementary School, told the Board of Education on Oct. 15 that the school will step up progress monitoring, coaching and family outreach after missing growth thresholds used in the state's School Performance Framework.

The principal presented data showing Rogers fell below the district's performance target this year, in part because the DIBELS participation rules used by the Colorado Department of Education require a 95% participation rate and paired beginning- and end-of-year measures. David (district staff) explained the school's low participation in paired DIBELS assessments was largely an artifact of small cohort sizes and student mobility rather than the school's failure to administer the measure. "They did not meet the threshold, not out of lack of effort," David said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The School Performance Framework (SPF) and DIBELS participation rules feed state and district accountability steps. Rogers' drop in growth points put its overall performance score below the 50-point benchmark the district uses to identify "performance" schools, which can trigger additional oversight and support.

Rogers' results and immediate steps
Rogers' median growth percentiles showed the school below the 50-point target that the principal identified as the performance threshold. Morell said the school was at 46 in reading (four points below the 50 benchmark) and three points below 50 in math. She told the board one teacher's median growth percentile of 11 in a single grade heavily affected the school aggregate; that teacher is no longer at Rogers.

To reduce the risk of a repeat, Morell said Rogers has increased the frequency of progress monitoring (STAR monthly instead of three times a year), begun earlier coaching for newer teachers, and reconfigured fifth-grade instruction to departmentalize math and reading so subject experts can focus on targeted remediation. Morell said the school is piloting more frequent coaching cycles and embedding district coaches to support teachers early in the year.

Attendance and chronic absenteeism
Morell and district staff told the board that overall attendance has improved but chronic absenteeism (missing 10 or more days per year) remains a major concern at Rogers. The principal said roughly 46% of students were chronically absent and described outreach strategies including letters home, wraparound services and efforts to understand family-level barriers to attendance.

Family engagement and student agency
Morell highlighted student-led conferences scheduled during parent-teacher conferences, where students present progress and goals to families. She said the school is aiming for 100% participation and offered multiple formats (in person, WebEx, phone) to reach families. Morell also described growth in student leadership initiatives and classroom peer observations as part of building instructional capacity.

Board questions and context
Board members asked about math monitoring in K' and coaching cadence; Morell said kindergarten math relies more on observational measures and work samples, while K' teachers use Eureka exit tickets and PLC discussions to guide instruction. Directors also pressed for details on attendance interventions and asked the principal to continue reporting on outcomes.

What's next
The principal asked the board and district staff to continue supporting on-site coaching and early interventions to raise growth percentiles. No board action was taken; the presentation provided the board with the school's current plan and stated next-step monitoring points.

Ending
Board members praised Rogers' community events and encouraged Morell to continue using parent conferences and the 5Essentials survey for additional input. The board asked the principal and district staff to return with updates as progress-monitoring and attendance interventions advance.