District reports gains in ELA and civics; officials cite subgroups and attendance as priorities

Mister Whitehouse and district academic leaders briefed the Marion County School Board on the fourth year of the Achieve 2026 five‑year strategic plan, reporting gains in English language arts and civics but continued concern about subgroup outcomes and some mathematics grade levels.

Lede: District staff told the board July 17 that English language arts scores rose in every grade this past year and that civics and U.S. history showed notable gains, but they said performance among English language learners and students with disabilities remains an area of focused work and that attendance and early intervention will be priorities.

Nut graf: The presentations summarized year‑to‑year results across multiple assessments and graduation tracking, and described tiered, targeted supports for schools (monthly walkthroughs and data meetings for higher performers; bimonthly and weekly supports for mid‑ and low‑performing schools). Staff emphasized early grade interventions, attendance teams, and using the district’s early‑warning data to drive weekly student‑level decisions.

Body: Mister Whitehouse (assistant superintendent leading the strategic plan update) told the board the district tracked 14 outcome metrics for Goal 1 and that 10 of those metrics improved in 2024–25. He highlighted literacy work: “we continue to see growth in every single grade level in our English language arts test scores last…