District presents college and career readiness update as testing and graduation targets loom
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Summary
District college-and-career coordinator outlined CSIP targets (75% seniors to complete qualifying postsecondary assessment by June 2026) and a range of interventions including dual enrollment, Early College Academy, ACT/ASVAB/WorkKeys expansions and partnerships with Varsity Tutors.
Khadijah Tijian, the district’s college and career coordinator, gave a detailed update on the College and Career Readiness (CCR) portion of the district improvement plan (CSIP), telling the board the district aims by June 2026 to have 75% of seniors complete a qualifying postsecondary assessment and to increase industry-recognized credentials and dual-enrollment participation.
Tijian reviewed the district’s interventions: expanded access to ACT, ASVAB, ACCUPLACER and WorkKeys test administration; an Early College Academy partnership with St. Louis Community College; a nascent trades program and increased enrollment at North Tech; targeted test-prep classes; and a recent virtual tutoring partnership with Varsity Tutors. She said the district had switched from the Paper platform to Varsity Tutors because students preferred live, virtual tutors and the district received a three-year free pilot from Varsity Tutors.
Tijian walked the board through DESE’s CCR assessment scoring framework (points for test participation and performance) and said the district was estimating about 260 seniors across high school and the Success Academy, with about 95 students currently scoring at or below the ACT-equivalent of 18. She described incentives the district is using to raise scores (recognition on a “21 club” board, T-shirts, extra graduation tickets, raffles at Decision Day) and interventions including ACT prep classes, partnerships with community programs (Upward Bound, UMSL Bridge, SLIP) and targeted retesting.
Board members pressed on math performance, test-prep scale-up and whether peer tutoring or additional PD for teachers could help. Tijian and other district staff said math department curriculum adjustments and an instructional-coaching focus are underway, that ACT prep capacity is limited (one on-staff certified prep teacher) and that the district is working to reconnect ninth- and tenth-grade test-prep opportunities within budget constraints.
Tijian emphasized individual student success stories (alumni in trades and college scholarship recipients) to illustrate pathways for students who use district programs and partnerships.
