High school lays out multi‑year plan to lift ACT scores, targets 100 identified freshmen

Churchill County High School principal Tim Spencer presented trustees with a multi‑part plan to raise ACT performance by aligning curriculum, embedding ACT skills into daily instruction and increasing instructional coaching. Spencer said the ACT test maker has reduced the number of questions on the exam and increased time per question, and the district will both embed relevant content into everyday lessons and continue focused preparation. “They have reduced overall question by…44 questions, which reduces the amount of time that the actual test takes, but increases the time students have to take on each question,” Spencer said, adding the district is working to prepare students earlier in the K–12 sequence. The high school identified 43 specific instructional practices as part of an instructional framework to be reinforced by assistant principals who will spend more time coaching in classrooms. Spencer described cross‑curricular team structures in the main building—English, social studies and special education teachers aligned by grade level—to embed shared standards and support deeper learning. Critically, Dean of Students Tricia Strassen told the board she compiled data showing roughly 100 incoming students are credit‑deficient or show markers such as chronic absenteeism or behavioral flags; the high school has already taken steps to adjust schedules and provide targeted outreach. “Once those students were identified, we broke those students up so that we could jump right on them day 1,” Strassen said. Discussion — not decision: trustees asked about SMART metrics, how curriculum vendors align to ACT skills and how the district would measure success; Spencer said the school improvement plan will frame SMART goals and that staff will submit a fuller package to the board for discussion at a future meeting. Ending — Spencer said the team will return with a fuller presentation, including measurable goals and timelines, and trustees commended the emphasis on middle‑school articulation and early intervention.