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Merrill principal outlines plan to raise literacy, math and attendance; board hears data and timelines
Summary
Merrill Elementary Principal Regina McAllister presented a continuous improvement plan focused on early literacy (IRLA), math (Imagine Math/MAP), and social‑emotional/behavior supports; the school’s state report‑card score was presented as 54.7 for 2024–25.
Regina McAllister, principal of Merrill Elementary, presented the school’s Continuous Improvement Plan to the Board on July 15, outlining literacy, math and social‑emotional goals and actions to raise academic performance and attendance.
Key goals and current measures: McAllister said Merrill’s 2024–25 state report‑card summary score was 54.7; staff set a School Improvement Plan (SIP) target of 45 percent of K–3 students meeting a district IRLA (Independent Reading Level Assessment) benchmark by June 2025 but said that target was not met (end‑of‑year K–3 meeting figure reported as 33.9 percent). For grades 3–5 MAP reading, McAllister reported roughly 10–16 percent of students scoring at or above average depending on grade and season; math MAP spring at‑or‑above averages ranged about 12–18 percent by grade.
Why it matters: McAllister flagged chronic absenteeism as a major constraint: Merrill’s average daily attendance was 86.9 percent and chronic absenteeism (below 90 percent) was 52.6 percent of students. She said attendance work included home visits, counseling, partnerships and attempts to stand up a community walking program for 2025–26.
Strategies: Planned actions include literacy and math “learning walks” with TLE staff to improve Tier‑1 instruction and monitoring implementation of Eureka and Imagine Math, classroom strategies for enrichment, use of IRLA power goals to target foundational skills, house‑system social‑emotional supports, and MERT drills for behavior/emergency preparedness.
Board discussion: Board members asked about class sizes, staffing, the Ryan Clark Academy house system used for student community and behavior, alignment of SIP goals to state report‑card rules and the district’s readiness to meet the “meets expectations” threshold. McAllister said staff increases are planned under the district staffing plan and expressed a goal of meeting the state “meets” threshold within a year if implementation is executed well.
Next steps: McAllister said the SIP for 2025–26 was being finalized and would include tiered instruction, attendance work and explicit plans to decrease office referrals; she asked for board support and invited board contact for additional ideas or help.
Ending: The presentation was informational; no action vote was required. Board members thanked McAllister for the report and offered support for the improvement plan.
