Jacks Valley Elementary presents rising attendance, EPIC framework and new programs

Jacks Valley Elementary School staff and students made a public presentation to the Douglas County School District Board of Trustees, describing gains in attendance, engagement programs and instructional strategies the school is using to boost academic proficiency.

Principal Pam Gilmartin and Vice Principal Veronica Griffith outlined the schoolmission and statistics: the school has about 364 students; 58% identified as white and 33% as Hispanic; the school reported 63 students living in poverty, 85 students receiving special education services and 39 English learners. Gilmartin and Griffith said the school decreased chronically absent students from about 21.8% (2021-22) to 12.6% in the most recent year.

Vice Principal Veronica Griffith told trustees Jacks Valley increased attendance through consistent incentives and family outreach. "We put a lot of attendance incentives in place," Griffith said, and staff track class-level attendance daily to promote strong routines.

Griffith and Principal Gilmartin also reviewed academic measures: the school reported 41% proficiency in English language arts and 32.8% in math on the most recent state indicators, down from previous years, and set a goal of increasing proficiency by 10% through targeted interventions.

The presentation highlighted the school's EPIC instructional framework (emphasizing personalized learning and deeper learning), a growing set of after-school and in-school activities, and an "Explorations" program where teachers provide elective-style mini-courses on topics from fashion to robotics. The school won an innovation award for those explorations at a recent learning conference, the presenters said.

Students described several exploration offerings on video and in-person: upcycled fashion, origami, Makey Makey coding, flag football and photography. Fifth-grade students showed short notes about their experience with the program during the board meeting.

Griffith described targeted academic tools: a phonics initiative for early grades (YouFLY, University of Florida Literacy Institute), Reflex Math to improve automaticity, weekly spiral review and teacher professional development in the science of reading. The school also uses data binders and one-on-one conferencing so students track personal learning goals.

Jacks Valley staff emphasized service-learning and community partnerships: a hydroponics program and garden club are producing plants and food for a May farmers market at the Nevada State Legislative Building; classrooms run service projects such as recycling and visits to senior centers.

Trustees asked about recent drops in assessment proficiency. Griffith and the superintendent noted math declines were largest; staff reported scores dropping from about 42% to 32% in math year-over-year and from 46% to 41% in ELA in the most recent period. Griffith said staff attribute declines to multiple factors, including attendance, behavior and out-of-school literacy supports, and stressed that building-level strategies are in place to improve outcomes.

Ending: Trustees thanked Jacks Valley staff and students for the presentation and encouraged site visits. The board asked staff to share follow-up materials and details on specific programs and the farmers market date.

Speakers (selected)

- Pam Gilmartin, Principal, Jacks Valley Elementary School (presenter)

- Veronica Griffith, Vice Principal, Jacks Valley Elementary School (presenter)

- Several students who spoke on explorations: Amara Stoltman, Zachary Eder, Alexander Kirkpatrick, Adrian Del Rio, Jacob Assanti, Clover Marr

Clarifying details

- Enrollment: 364 students (presented by school staff)

- Demographics presented: 58% white, 33% Hispanic; 63 students identified as living in poverty; 85 students receive special education services; 39 are English language learners.

- Attendance improvements: chronically absent rate reported as 21.8% in 2021-22; decreased to 12.6% most recently.

- Assessment proficiency cited by presenters: ELA 41%, math 32.8% (most recent year); recent year-to-year drops were described as about 5 percentage points in ELA and 10 percentage points in math for the most recent comparison.

Provenance

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- topfinish: {"block_id":"seg_3751.3","local_start":0,"local_end":312,"evidence_excerpt":"So, at Jacks Valley, we've made great strides in, student learning through the programs that we talked about, exploration, service projects, hydroponics... So while we have a long ways to go, we're really proud of how far we've come and the progress that we've made."}

salience":{"overall":0.74,"overall_justification":"The presentation included site-level data (attendance and assessment scores), program descriptions and targets for improvement that affect students and families.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Directly affects students and families at Jacks Valley and informs districtwide instructional support decisions.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Board and community interest in student outcomes and programs.","novelty":0.30,"novelty_justification":"Programs like hydroponics and a farmers market are noteworthy at the school level though not unique nationally.","timeliness_urgency":0.50,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Site performance targets have implications for near-term interventions and resource allocation.","legal_significance":0.00,"legal_significance_justification":"No statutory action; school report and request for board support."},