Teachers reported back to the Marshalltown Community School District board on Sept. 15 about professional learning and a classroom research project tied to district funds and administrative approval.

Amanda Ewing said she used teacher-quality funds to attend the Bell and Blank Talent Development fellowship at the University of Iowa. The fellowship focused on instruction for accelerated learners and provided evidence-based strategies for honors and accelerated coursework. Ewing told the board the program changed her approach to extension opportunities, assessment and inclusion for students who "may be proficient or above, but need to be pushed to reach their highest potential." She said her next steps include using new questionnaires, quizzes and summative assessments and collaborating with the high school XLP coordinator to expand enrichment options.

Heidi, a teacher at Linehan Intermediate School, requested approval for an action-research project to run from October through December intended to test vocabulary strategies with students she described as having complex needs. Heidi told the board she planned daily 25-minute comprehension sessions using multimodal strategies to measure vocabulary retention and reading comprehension. The action-research entry appeared as the single project item on the meeting's consent agenda; the board approved the consent agenda by voice vote, 4–0, earlier in the meeting.

Amanda described instructional terms she learned at the fellowship — including distinctions between "talented and gifted" versus "accelerated learners" and the concept of "twice-exceptional" students — and said the fellowship cohort included educators and a school psychologist from multiple regions, which allowed practitioners to share rural-district solutions. When board members asked for clarification, Ewing defined twice-exceptional: "a twice exceptional student is someone that could be accelerated in a subject or multiple subjects but also have a mental disability. So, like, if you are on the autism spectrum but you're accelerated in math, you're considered twice exceptional."

The presentation highlighted district-supported professional development and a consent-agenda-approved classroom research project aimed at improving instruction. Board members thanked the teachers and expressed support for continuing professional learning.