District outlines school improvement plan process ahead of October board approvals

Cabarrus County Schools staff told the board Sept. 8 that school improvement planning is operating as a year-round continuous-improvement process, with school teams finalizing 2025–26 plans in September and district staff scheduled to present plans to the board for approval in October. Assistant superintendent Becky Reeves and Dr. Bowers described a district-aligned model that narrows priorities to district “North Star” goals: teaching and learning, foundational literacy (elementary third-grade reading), eighth-grade math, and high-school Math I plus ACT/WorkKeys measures. Reeves said every school will have a teaching-and-learning goal and a student-wellness goal; schools may add one locally chosen goal. Reeves said the district has been concentrating resources — curriculum adoption, summer leadership work, tiered intervention programs and professional development — in areas identified as priorities and that central teams will continue monthly monitoring and school-level “continuous improvement walks” to identify promising practices and supports. Why it matters: the board will formally approve school improvement plans, which set measurable goals and drive allocation of staff time and some district resources. Reeves said 82% of the district's 141 school improvement goals from last year either met or showed significant progress, and staff will continue cross-district sharing of promising practices. What’s next: schools will finalize plans this week, submit them to central office review, and the board will receive the bundles in advance of the October meeting where approval is scheduled. Staff emphasized that plans will be living documents, revised as data arrives through the year.