Sun Prairie reports higher test scores but persistent gaps for Black, multilingual and special‑education students

Dr. Sarah Chyclarity, Director of Secondary for Teaching, Learning and Equity for the Sun Prairie Area School District, told the board Jan. 27 that secondary assessment scores rose in 2023–24 while gaps remain for Black students, students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

Chyclarity said all secondary schools with state report‑card ratings increased their accountability score in 2023–24 and that Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West high schools are rated “exceeding expectations.” She also noted one secondary school, Prairie View Middle School, has been identified for Targeted Supports and Interventions because one or more student groups performed in the bottom 10% statewide.

The presentation summarized district assessment results, local scorecards, equity‑focused problems of practice, budgets (data from fiscal 2021), interventions and a multi‑year implementation plan for restorative practices. Chyclarity said the district will return with two more secondary reports on April 28 and July 28.

District assessment and outcome highlights

- Middle school universal screening (AIMSwebPlus, fall): 72.5% of secondary students met or exceeded benchmark in reading; eighth grade specifically was 72.2% at or above benchmark. Over six assessment windows spanning 2022–24, middle‑school students rose from 50.9% to 60.3% meeting or exceeding benchmarks.

- Middle school math (FastBridge/AIMSwebPlus): overall middle‑school meeting/exceeding benchmark rose from 55.4% to 61.2% across the same six windows; eighth grade showed nearly an 11 percentage‑point gain in the most recent cycle.

- High school assessments (ACT suite): the district reported growth on the PreACT/ACT measures. For fall 2024, 52.5% of ninth–eleventh graders met the college‑readiness benchmark in reading (up from ~45% the prior year). For tenth grade (PreACT secure), Sun Prairie reported 42% meeting or exceeding college and career benchmarks versus 31% statewide.

- Graduation and credits: East and West high schools each reported a 98.3% graduation rate. Credit‑attainment (D‑ minus or better) was 90% districtwide; 76% of students earned a B‑ minus or better in core coursework (the district goal is 80%).

Equity, attendance and discipline concerns

Chyclarity emphasized that persistent and “pervasive” gaps remain, calling out Black students, students with disabilities and multilingual learners as groups requiring targeted attention. Examples included:

- Disaggregated screening data showed Black students, multilingual learners and students with disabilities performing well below school averages in many measures (examples cited include subgroup rates as low as about 31.3% or 45.8% on some screeners).

- Attendance: districtwide 80.8% of secondary students had 90% or higher attendance (the district target), but Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) and some subgroups were well below that mark; PPA was called out as “significantly off track.”

- Exclusionary discipline: between September and November (data cited in the presentation), 55% of recorded out‑of‑school suspensions involved Black students; 73% involved economically disadvantaged students. Chyclarity said these patterns connect to academic outcomes and the district’s equity work.

Restorative practices and interventions

The district described a tiered intervention model aligned with its Equitable Multi‑Level System of Support (EMLSS): universal/core instruction, supplemental supports and intensive interventions. Chyclarity said middle schools use a common universal curriculum, “win time” (targeted intervention blocks) and PLCs; high schools use course‑alike PLCs and outreach/credit‑recovery options.

Restorative practices were presented as a multi‑year system‑wide initiative: middle schools are in year three of implementation and high schools in year two. The district repurposed staff FTE from previous outreach roles to hire restorative practice coaches (one FTE per middle school, one per high school; PPA’s social worker serves as restorative coach). The district’s baseline local data show restorative practices are used more frequently with Black students, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students; the presentation said those groups show the largest relative benefit from restorative responses.

On the role of restorative practice, Chyclarity said: “We are committed to disrupting the school‑to‑prison pipeline here in Sun Prairie. We are committed to disrupting inequities.” She described a continuum of preventive community building and responsive restorative conferencing and said coaches support staff implementation and reentry planning after exclusions.

Budget, programs and resources

The presentation used 2021 fiscal‑year data for per‑pupil spending because more recent site‑level data were not available. Cited figures included an average district secondary per‑pupil spending of about $13,663 and total secondary building budgets and fees reported for that year (building budgets totaled $1,049,423; fees collected $88,823). The director’s secondary budget funds items including AVID, Project Lead The Way, multilingual learner supports, tutoring and professional learning; the presentation said that program spending shown (~$854,000) represented a 6.19% reduction from the prior year and that the AVID budget was reduced by $50,000 when the district shifted to local training.

Data systems and alignment needs

Chyclarity identified a need to align the behavior matrix, restorative‑practice terminology, Infinite Campus (student‑information entries) and the district’s visualization tools (EduClimber/NextPath) so that entries and reports are consistent across systems. She also noted limits in subgroup reporting within the Asian racial category and said the district wants more detailed ethnicity data when possible.

Board‑level requests and next steps

The presentation addressed board requests for comparative academic data among schools, behavior prevention and response, restorative‑practice details and how students learn about opportunities and interventions. Chyclarity listed several requests for board support, including continued advocacy or local funding for student transportation to expand off‑site college and career opportunities, and continued investment in competitive staff compensation and benefits.

Chyclarity closed by noting the district’s continuing work to implement additional elements of its instructional framework and invited the board to request specific data for the next presentations on April 28 and July 28. She also said, “We are like no one else, like nowhere else,” in describing the district’s approach.