District continues visible‑learning push; expands LETRS, HIPS and screening schedule

Brandy Taylor, director of school improvement services, updated the board on curriculum, professional development and assessment work during the Sept. 8 meeting. Taylor described the district’s continuing emphasis on the TONGI framework (rigor, achievement, PLCs) and said the district has reinforced visible‑learning practices so that “if you are in a classroom in Tonganoxie, you should be able to look up and find out what you’re supposed to be learning today.” She said the district earlier held HIPS (high-impact instructional practices and strategies) training and has begun secondary-level professional development to align with the elementary science of reading work. Taylor said teachers at all levels will continue to emphasize gradual release and integrating background knowledge, and that administrators are using walk‑through tools to document and support instructional practices. She said instructional coaches are supporting PLCs, data dives and interventions, and that coaches are LETRS facilitators working to expand structured-literacy training across the district. On assessment, Taylor reported that FastBridge universal screening has been completed for the fall and that the next FastBridge window is scheduled for December to allow comparison of fall-to-winter growth. She noted the district is still awaiting state CAP scores and that work on a social-studies resource adoption will begin in October with a planned board adoption in April. Taylor also described efforts to align building- and individual‑level goals with the district strategic plan, expand teacher supports, and increase communication with families (including a planned district podcast to share updates). Ending: Taylor said coaches and administrators will continue to monitor classroom implementation and assessment results; the district expects to use the December FastBridge window and forthcoming CAP results to refine instructional priorities.