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Board reviews Helios Foundation graduation projections and district selects CLT as state-funded test
Summary
Trustees reviewed Helios Foundation data projecting economic impacts tied to educational attainment and discussed regular graduation-rate tracking; staff also reported the district chose the CLT as the state-funded college-readiness test for high schools this year, citing higher concordance for Bright Futures eligibility.
The School Board received an overview of a Helios Foundation report that projects lifetime income by educational attainment and models the local economic gains and losses tied to graduation and postsecondary completion. Board Member Smith said the Helios data, which district staff used to generate county-level projections, is intended to help the district prioritize funding and programs to increase postsecondary enrollment and completion.
Why it matters: The Helios materials map “if–then” scenarios — for example, projected lifetime earnings and community economic outcomes under different graduation and degree-attainment scenarios — and trustees said those projections can inform budgeting and program decisions that aim to retain local talent and boost community earnings.
Data and next steps: Smith asked that the board make the graduation-rate review a regular item, disaggregated by school and demographic group, and suggested bringing related presentations (including Helios material and local partners’ work) to upcoming workshops and community events such as the Children’s Summit on Feb. 18. Trustees and staff discussed using Xello (a college- and career-planning platform) to collect student interest data and comparing ninth‑grade and eleventh‑grade results to inform course offerings, internships and career pathways.
Testing decision reported: Staff reported the Department of Education pays for one college-readiness test per high school; district schools voted on which test to administer. The Classical Learning Test (CLT) was selected for the state-funded administration this year. District staff explained CLT was favored by a majority of principals and test coordinators because, in their estimate, it gives more students a pathway to the state’s Bright Futures scholarship and may offer more favorable concordance for certain graduation-related requirements. Staff noted that families can still arrange SAT or ACT testing separately and that the district will revisit the choice annually.
Quotes and balance: “We can choose one that the state pays for itself,” staff said. Trustees acknowledged concerns from some parents that the CLT aligns more directly with in-state postsecondary pathways and may not serve students planning to attend out-of-state colleges; staff said schools can continue to provide alternative tests as needed.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to continue providing disaggregated graduation-rate projections and to present plans for integrating Xello data and aligning course offerings with postsecondary and workforce pathways. The board did not take formal action on policies in this briefing.
