Victor CSD elementary leaders report SEL, literacy and math gains in management‑plan update

Victor Central School District elementary building leaders on April 10 updated the Board of Education on implementation of the district management plan, describing data‑driven goals and early results for social‑emotional learning (SEL), literacy and math.

Intermediate School principal Jim Morrow said the school used an SEL survey in fall and a subsequent SEL data dive to identify students for targeted interventions through the building’s MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports). Morrow said the building has supplemented classroom practices with restorative approaches, targeted SEL lessons delivered by PPS (psychology, counseling and social work) staff, and morning‑show and assembly messaging tied to monthly character traits. He also described staff surveys administered in October and March to measure sense of belonging; leadership used responses to check in with staff who rated themselves lower and to plan connection activities.

At the early childhood school, Rob DeRose said PLCs (professional learning communities) changed structure this year so classroom teachers and AIS (Academic Intervention Services) providers meet weekly to align interventions, coach instruction and monitor progress. The first‑grade PLCs focused on improving oral reading fluency measured with AIMSweb; teachers used repeated‑reading strategies, WIN (What I Need) time, home practice and quick pull‑aside interventions. DeRose said trend data show students’ rate‑of‑improvement goals are being met and many students are closing gaps.

Leaders described a district pilot of two potential humanities resources for grades 3–6: Core Knowledge Language Arts (Amplify) and Arts & Letters (Great Minds). The pilot includes 26 teachers across integrated co‑taught, consultant teacher and stand‑alone sections; training and coaching began in January and the pilot runs through mid‑May. Building leaders said teacher feedback at a mid‑pilot check‑in highlighted daily writing prompts and consistent opportunities for student writing as a strength of the resources under review.

Math PLCs reported progress on fluency with basic addition and subtraction and on students’ ability to make sense of word problems. Presenters said first‑grade data showed a 14% decrease in students falling in the “well‑below‑average” range for math fact fluency from fall to winter and a 5% increase in those in the average range. A snapshot of unit data showed growth from 75% to 84% for one fluency standard and from 62% to 87% for a problem‑solving standard after targeted instruction and progress monitoring.

Primary school principal Heidi Robb discussed efforts to reduce Tier‑2/Tier‑3 behavioral support needs by emphasizing Tier‑1 instruction and buildingwide routines. She said the school’s weekly counseling lessons and clearer home‑school communications correspond with a month‑by‑month drop in support calls compared with the prior year in all but one month through March.

Why it matters: The presentation framed the management plan as a coordinated set of building goals that use common assessments and PLC collaboration to accelerate early literacy and numeracy and to strengthen whole‑school SEL. Board members asked how the district can move staff from a midrange “3” on belonging surveys into higher categories and asked administration to track progress over time.

What’s next: Leaders will complete pilots and return with final recommendations in June. The administration plans to include metrics and outcomes from tonight’s presentation in the district data book.