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Tasker Middle School principal lays out strategies to boost engagement, attendance and tier‑1 instruction
Summary
Principal Jeff Spiller presented a year‑in‑review for Tasker Middle School highlighting staff retention, expanded electives and athletics, tiered interventions, advisory changes, and plans to lengthen advisory and create dedicated intervention classes next year.
At the Atascadero Unified School District board meeting, Tasker Middle School Principal Jeff Spiller presented an operational update describing program growth, intervention strategies and plans for next year to strengthen school climate and academic outcomes.
Spiller told the board Tasker serves roughly 840 students with about 85 staff and runs 15 sports teams, music, drama and a leadership program funded in part by the Greyhound Foundation. He said staffing stability and staff presence on campus have been a priority: "What we needed to focus on... was staff presence, communication to staff members, students in our community, and an overall recognition of the good things that happen," Spiller said. He credited newly assigned intervention coordinators and campus supervisors with improving supervision and classroom environment.
To raise engagement and reduce behavior incidents, Spiller outlined three main goals: increase staff presence, improve communication (including a weekly newsletter and weekly Google Meet check‑ins), and expand positive recognition (student of the week, athlete of the week, and VAPA spotlights). For academics he described data‑driven work with English learner outcomes and a campus practice of student data chats to set targets before SBAC testing.
Planned changes for the 2025–26 year include lengthening advisory time by five minutes, shifting Saints Block intervention to full intervention classes with nine sections of ELA, math and study skills across grade levels, and creating more consistent adult‑student relationships in intervention settings. Spiller said the district will continue to use FastBridge for progress monitoring and will leverage the new K–2 screener data for younger grades.
Board members praised the site visit and the campus climate Spiller reported. Trustee comments acknowledged improved morale and the value of retaining staff and increasing student opportunities. Spiller emphasized the importance of continued community and staff collaboration to sustain gains.
