USD 443 superintendent outlines RADAR professional-development process and school-level plans

USD 443 administrators provided an informational presentation on the district’s RADAR professional-development process during the Sept. 8, 2025 meeting, explaining how building-level professional-development plans are created, approved and monitored.

Administrators said the process begins at the teacher and building levels with Building Leadership Teams and steering-committee representatives. Each building produces RADAR documents that explain how proposed professional learning is relevant to curriculum, aligned to district and building goals, driven by data, tied to specific actions across the year and linked to measurable student outcomes.

For example, Ross Elementary’s RADAR includes a target to reduce the percentage of students identified as chronically absent from 15.16 percent to 12.1 percent. The plans are reviewed by district staff, the superintendent (Doctor Springston was named as final approver in the presentation), and the Professional Development Council (PDC), and are considered living documents that buildings can adjust as needed based on progress monitoring and benchmark checks throughout the year.

Board members asked whether buildings receive regular access to the data (for example, chronic absenteeism metrics) used to monitor progress; administrators said building leaders have access to the data and are responsible for progress checks after each professional learning day. District staff emphasized the intention that adult learning be directly tied to measurable student outcomes.

The board received the informational presentation; no formal action was required.