Victor CSD principals highlight PLC work, new assessment tools and culture efforts in management-plan update

At the Victor Central School District board meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Karen Finter and building principals reviewed year-three progress on the district’s management plan, focusing on the pillars of culture and learning and instruction.

"Action steps may impact the context and content of faculty meetings as they determine building level professional development," Karen Finter said, describing the multi-level planning process that moves from district data to building goals and then to classroom PLC work.

What leaders told the board

Karen Finter described a three-layer cycle of data-driven goal setting that begins with districtwide data review, moves to building-level goals and then embeds work in teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). She said the district is working to add more interim, standards-aligned measures so teams can assess progress during the year rather than only at year end.

At Victor Senior High School, Principal Brian Siesta said culture work — including professional development on facilitating tough conversations — has reduced some disciplinary incidents connected to inappropriate communication. He also described a cafeteria refresh led by students’ designs: "Students now enjoy their lunchtime, and they have expressed how much warmer and inviting the cafeteria feels," Siesta said.

Instructional work and interim assessment tools

Senior high and junior high principals described classroom-level practices informed by PLC analysis. Algebra teams created cumulative, standards-linked review assignments and "redemption" questions tied to commonly missed items; teachers use those tools to re-teach and target standards. Siesta said the algebra PLC's work showed measurable midyear improvement in course performance compared with the same point last year.

The junior high’s principal, Brian Gee, described the district’s "backwards design" approach to planning, which asks teachers first to specify the standards and assessments and then design learning experiences to meet those targets. Gee illustrated student-centered work in math classes using whiteboards, collaboration and problem-solving as an example of that instructional shift.

Districtwide assessment platform

Administrators said the district is phasing in a standards-aligned assessment system (referred to in the meeting as eDoctrina/eductrina) so teachers can see student progress by standard in real time. The district plans to have all secondary common assessments in the system by June 2026 and said some K–6 teachers are already piloting the tool.

Why this matters

Officials said more timely, standards-aligned data enables teachers to group students by need, design targeted interventions and measure the impact of instruction before year-end summative tests. Several board members praised the effort and asked for subgroup breakdowns and support for teams with less experience in data analysis.

Quotes

"He proved that spoken conversation is valuable and that stability and respect are timeless qualities needed for our students as they mature into adulthood," Principal Brian Siesta said of a district faculty workshop on facilitating difficult conversations. Assistant Superintendent Karen Finter said the PLC work "has been, conducted through our contractual PD days or PD time and our conference days this year."

Ending

Administrators said they will give an elementary update in April and share a comprehensive PLC summary in May and June. They said next steps include more interim assessments in the new platform, continued PLC training and deeper teacher development in backwards design and data literacy.