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Starbuck International K–8 outlines IB rollout, targets to shrink proficiency gap
Summary
At the March 17 Racine Unified School District board meeting, Starbuck International K–8 leaders described work to merge three schools, expand the International Baccalaureate program and raise student proficiency, especially for nonwhite students, and answered board questions about staffing, planning time and IB training requirements.
At the Racine Unified School District Board of Education meeting March 17, Sarah Obleski, head of schools at Starbuck International K–8, described the school’s first year after merging Starbuck, Westridge and Jefferson and outlined targets to narrow an identified proficiency gap.
Obleski told the board the district’s review of combined data showed “88 percent of [students in grades 3–8] were not proficient,” and that one of the school’s explicit goals is to raise students’ Forward Math scores “from 12 to 20% this spring.” She said the campus exited the state’s CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) designation at the end of last school year after multi-year work on professional learning communities (PLCs) and data-driven instruction.
School leaders framed the current year as a start-up focused on three priorities: building a shared identity after the merger, continuing collaborative PLC processes to target academic skills, and expanding staff training for the International Baccalaureate (IB) authorization. Obleski said the IB World Organization requires primary years (PYP) teachers to complete at least a Category 1 training, and the school plans to invite an IB trainer on-site to speed staff certification.
Board members asked for implementation details. A board member identified as Miss Ford asked which two or three practices had been most helpful; Obleski said gathering staff and family input and using PLC structures were central. A board member who identified themself as Mr. Coley asked whether the school collects data about students having a trusted adult; Obleski said counselors survey students and some counselors include that goal in their student learning objectives. On IB training, Obleski said the district will use a mix of in-person and online IB trainings and that PYP staff must meet IB training requirements before authorization.
Obleski described scheduling and planning time for collaboration: elementary and middle school staff have common planning time; middle years program teachers have seven periods with two prep periods, and one scheduled IB planning period. She said the school uses common formative assessments and PLCs to group students for reteach or enrichment and that the middle school uses twice-weekly flex time for targeted instruction.
Obleski and board members also emphasized family engagement: Starbuck runs three Title I events yearly, additional family nights and a parent ambassador group. The district and school will continue to build baselines for next year as the merged campus stabilizes.
School staff and several students also participated in the board’s student-spotlight portion of the meeting, part of a larger “Passions Project” organized by Racine Educators United and featuring student portraits and narratives.
Board members thanked the staff for the transition work and Obleski invited board members to observe PLCs and intervention periods at Starbuck.
