Roy Junior Principal outlines reading initiative, PBIS gains and student‑support programs

Roy Junior High Principal Melinda Stipson presented the board with academic and behavioral improvements at Roy Junior, highlighting a new literacy initiative, PBIS gains and specialized support programs. Stipson told the board that over two years English language proficiency rose 13 percent and mathematics grew about 7 percent; science showed a three‑year gain she described as 17 percent after recent changes to instruction. Stipson attributed gains to teacher collaboration, PLC work, and district support. She described schoolwide systems: a strengthened PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) committee with parent and student representation moved the school’s Team Fidelity Inventory score from 0 percent to about 62 percent in one year, Stipson said. The school added an instructional coach and critical support staff (advocates and paraprofessionals) and runs an "Iron Razorback" program to teach persistence and to help students transition back from removals. On literacy, Stipson described "Razors Read," a structured advisory reading block (not silent reading) with daily reading strategies, fluency checks and comprehension monitoring. The school led the district in library circulation with more than 10,000 checkouts last year; circulation jumped 80 percent in the two weeks after StoryCon, a district literacy event she credited with energizing teachers and students. Stipson also described the school’s behavior classroom (one of two in the district) used to transition students back into inclusion and said the teams will evaluate early‑quarter data to revise practices if necessary. Ending: Stipson left the board with materials on the school’s culture work and invited board members to visit; board members praised the school’s work and thanked staff for the report.