Sauk Trail school reports drop in chronic absenteeism, outlines strategies to reduce achievement gaps

Sauk Trail school staff reviewed the year‑end Achievement Gap Reduction (AGR) report Monday, telling the Middleton‑Cross Plains Area School District board that instructional coaching, one‑on‑one tutoring and reduced class sizes are the three main strategies the school uses to address achievement gaps.

Chris Dalek, who presented the report, said the AGR document includes state‑required items and shows math performance held steady while the district continues to adjust to assessment changes driven by Act 20. He said Sauk Trail’s student population includes about 25% multilingual learners and that more than half of the school participates in a two‑way immersion program.

Why it matters: the AGR report identifies targeted interventions the district will use to address disparities in achievement and attendance — including efforts to lower chronic absenteeism, which Dalek said decreased by roughly two percentage points this year (from about 13% to just over 11%). The board asked questions about how interventions are delivered and how class size targets are set.

Key points from the presentation and discussion

- Strategies and definitions: Dalek said AGR assigns students to one of three strategies: one‑on‑one tutoring, class‑size reduction, and instructional coaching. He noted that class‑size reduction applies when section size is below 18 students.

- Assessments and Act 20: The district used a different assessment cadence this year because of Act 20; staff noted changes in year‑to‑year comparisons and emphasized that reported AGR measures focus on the current school year.

- Multilingual learners and immersion: Dalek said about 25% of Sauk Trail students are English/multilingual learners, and over 50% are in the two‑way immersion program. Board members clarified that some larger class sizes reflect two‑way immersion classrooms that grow when multilingual learners move into the district during the year; those classes may receive increased support from bilingual resource teachers and interventionists rather than automatic reduction of enrollment.

- Chronic absenteeism: Dalek said chronic absenteeism decreased by about two percentage points, from roughly 13% to just over 11%. He attributed part of the change to classroom‑level engagement strategies (special morning routines and teacher outreach) and to targeted family outreach, and said the district plans a “walking school bus” pilot in fall to reduce absenteeism among students who live nearby.

- New programs and training: The board heard that staff will implement Wayfinder, a system to embed academic and career planning across middle and high school, with staff training planned next year. Board members also received details about a planned Cardinal Pathways program to provide intensive supports next year for students who require services the district currently must source outside the district.

Board Q&A and follow‑up

Board members asked how larger class sections are supported; presenters said bilingual resource teachers and interventionists may spend additional time in those classrooms and that some students may also receive one‑on‑one tutoring. Staff said planning includes anticipating in‑year enrollment shifts and, where possible, starting kindergarten sections with lower enrollments to allow room for mid‑year arrivals.

Presenters noted data limitations and said AGR reporting focuses on the current year’s enrollments and outcomes. Board members thanked staff for the report and the district said it will continue to track absenteeism and program rollouts.