Deputy Superintendent Doctor Cormack presented the Jackson Public Schools districtwide improvement plan and 2024–25 results from the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAP) at the Oct. 15 Board of Trustees meeting, saying the data will guide a five‑point plan to raise proficiency across the district.

"MAP again stands for Mississippi Academic Assessment Program," Doctor Cormack said, outlining proficiency and growth trends in English language arts, mathematics and science and noting that U.S. history will no longer be part of the state's accountability model.

The district's plan, titled "One District, One Direction," centers on three instructional priorities the administration calls the ABCs: acceleration (daily access to grade‑level material), balanced assessment and focused writing, and a culture of observation and feedback for teachers and leaders. The plan also references Project 75, a targeted strategy to improve third‑grade literacy for cohorts affected by pandemic disruptions.

Doctor Cormack summarized key findings: flat to modest gains in ELA and mathematics at several grades, a dip in science proficiency at assessed grades, and gains in measures tied to English learner progress. He told the board the district's English learner population has grown by 257% over the past decade and that the district is expanding supports and screening to address that shift.

On math, Cormack highlighted a sustained improvement in Algebra I proficiency: "For the last three years we've had over 40% of students proficient," he said, and credited targeted professional development and partnerships for the rise from about 10% proficiency when the district launched its prior strategic plan.

Board members used the presentation to press administration on attendance and punctuality. President Hilliard and several trustees described repeated observations of students arriving late, sometimes just before lunch, and said late arrivals were undermining instructional time.

Trustee McGuffey asked for clarity about how absences are counted; administration noted a statewide attendance rule that a scholar must be present at least 63% of the day for the day to count as present. Doctor Cormack said the district's public engagement team recently ran a chronic absenteeism awareness campaign and that schools are using targeted messaging and community‑school resources to address barriers such as transportation and basic needs.

Doctor Cormack walked the board through how the improvement plan would be implemented across departments: empowered teaching and accelerated learning under the deputy superintendent, operational improvements including an ERP migration to Munis under the chief operations officer, and new family engagement work through ParentSquare under the chief of staff. He also said leadership labs, learning walks and network professional learning communities will be used to build coaching and feedback.

The board asked for follow‑up on benchmark timelines and on how forthcoming changes to state accountability cut scores or writing measures will affect year‑to‑year comparisons; administration said the state has not finalized all cut‑score changes and pledged to return with details once numbers are final.

The presentation included several short, board‑level commitments rather than formal votes; the district staff asked the board to receive the plan and to allow the administration to move forward with scheduled implementation steps and upcoming approvals for after‑school programs tied to Project 75.

The district also told the board it will pilot enhanced professional development in five schools as part of Project 75 and would return with benchmark results following the second assessment period.

Looking ahead, Doctor Cormack said the district will: continue disaggregation of MAP data by grade and subgroup, expand supports for the growing English learner population, implement writing‑focused midterm assessments, and monitor implementation through regular learning walks and data reports to the board.