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Mount Vernon Middle School highlights History Day success, 10% targeted intervention and lower chronic absenteeism
Summary
At the May 19 board meeting, Middle School Principal Darren Prince reported that two students advanced to state History Day, described a '10% intervention' initiative aimed at students near passing thresholds and said chronic absenteeism declined by about 1.25 percentage points to roughly 3.5%.
Two Mount Vernon Middle School students who advanced to the state History Day competition and a set of targeted instructional strategies were the focus of the board’s May 19 middle school report.
Darren Prince, who presented the report, praised History Day as a project‑based learning experience that aligns with the district’s instructional vision of being “driven, real, personalized, and engaged.” He introduced teacher Chris Sidwright and two students — Alex White and Declan (Dex) Steinmetz — who presented short overviews of their documentary projects. Alex told the board he researched Tarana Burke and said the project deepened his interest in the subject; the student presentation noted Burke’s founding role in the Me Too movement.
Prince described a locally created “10%” initiative that asked teachers to choose roughly 10% of their students — those the teacher believed were closest to passing statewide benchmarks — and give those students additional regular goal‑setting and support. For one math teacher Prince displayed, 11 of about 15 selected students moved into the passing or accelerated ranges on a recent assessment.
Prince also described tiered interventions and incentives: the middle school added targeted supports such as a whole‑body wellness class, a football mentorship program, a base program partnering high‑schoolers with middle‑schoolers, and other targeted supports intended to reduce referrals and chronic absenteeism. He reported the district’s chronic absenteeism rate “has dropped by 1.25%” and that the middle school was “currently at 3 and a half percent” for chronic absenteeism.
The report noted the school intends to apply for the PBIS silver award (continuing work on tier 2 and planning for tier 3 supports) and that the school used small incentives — including a field‑trip reward (King’s Island) — to motivate attendance and growth. Prince said about 650 students could become eligible for the reward depending on final results.
What the board heard
- Two students who reached the state level of History Day described their documentary projects and research process. - The 10% targeted support strategy aims to improve outcomes for students in the middle of the performance distribution by assigning regular, focused teacher support and measurable goals. - Tier‑2 interventions and attendance incentives are part of a broader PBIS approach; chronic absenteeism fell roughly 1.25 percentage points to about 3.5%.
Why it matters
The 10% approach and expanded tiered supports are operational interventions intended to boost growth for students near proficiency and to reduce chronic absenteeism, which Prince said is closely linked to learning opportunities. The History Day student presentations illustrated the district’s emphasis on project‑based, interdisciplinary learning.
The board expressed appreciation for the work and for the student presenters; no formal action was required for the instructional report.
