Chief of staff returns to classroom, reports student growth despite RISE challenges at Westlake

Mitch Nerdutt, chief of staff for Barnet School District, said he returned to the classroom this school year to teach math at Westlake and saw widespread student improvement even as many students remained below proficiency on RISE assessments.

Nerdutt described the experience during a hallway-minute interview with Superintendent Orsley, saying the class of 32 included roughly 20 English language learners and that “the kids are quite similar” to past students, though language needs were greater.

Nerdutt said he began the year with one student who was proficient on the RISE test. “That kid became a 4 and I had 4 more proficient,” he said, adding that the change represented what he called a “500% increase in proficiency.” He told Orsley that reviewing student-by-student data with Principal Sarah Wall showed that “the vast majority, 85% of the kids improved, maybe not to proficiency, but it’s a pretty big jump.”

Nerdutt described classroom rigor as a challenge, saying the RISE items are demanding and that he sometimes struggled to answer questions he was given during conversations with Orsley about the tests. He framed the gains as growth-focused: “Growth is important,” he said.

Both Nerdutt and Orsley highlighted relationships as a key factor. Nerdutt said some students in his class had histories of repeated suspensions and that close relationships helped those students engage and succeed: “We’re gonna put them in your class. And then to see that student really succeed and excel has been wonderful,” he said.

Orsley closed the interview by thanking Nerdutt for returning to the classroom. No formal motions or district actions were discussed during the interview; the segment was a first-person account of a teacher-administrator’s classroom experience, not a policy debate or board decision.