Exeter Township SD outlines data-driven improvement plan after mixed Future Ready and Acadience results

Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller and the Exeter Township School Board heard a districtwide data presentation on Jan. 21, 2025 that showed the district above state averages in graduation rate and dual‑enrollment credits but falling short on several subject-area benchmarks — notably junior‑high math and high‑school biology — and flagged first‑grade literacy concerns at one elementary school.

The presentation, led by Dr. Josh Hoyt, director of teaching and learning, with Joe Carroll, secondary curriculum supervisor, and Becky Bush, elementary curriculum supervisor, framed the results through the state Future Ready Index and local Acadience (universal screener) data and described next steps in a “Cycle of Improvement” the district will use to target curriculum and interventions.

Why this matters: The data will shape curriculum adoptions, professional development and targeted interventions across K‑12. The board asked the administration to bring recommended instructional resources to the board next month and received a timeline for larger curriculum changes now under study.

The district reported several items of progress and concern. At the senior high school, Dr. Joe Carroll said the district remains “above the state average when it comes to our graduation rate” and noted strong participation in advanced coursework: about 135 students earned a total of 759 dual‑enrollment credits through the RACC program, and “5% of the class … took five or more AP exams” over the last four years. Carroll said the district plans to add AP Environmental Science, AP Seminar and a dual‑enrollment education course through Immaculata University.

But the Future Ready Index shows mixed results by subject. Dr. Hoyt explained the state reports separate measures for achievement and growth, and said the district “met [expectations] in language arts and math” at the senior high level but did not meet expectations in biology, where both achievement and growth lagged. "For biology, it is an area of concern," Hoyt said.

The junior high’s combined grade‑7/8 PSSA results were weaker: achievement in language arts, math and science did not meet state expectations and, in math and science, the cohort also failed to show a year’s worth of growth. "When students are not growing as well, that’s where we have to start to intervene," Hoyt said.

Elementary results showed a distinct pattern: buildings often did not meet the state’s published achievement expectation but did show strong growth on the Future Ready Index. Becky Bush said the district’s Acadience benchmarking (administered Jan. 3–10) is being used to identify early literacy risk and guide instruction. "This is the live data. This is what we just finished our benchmarking window, January 3rd through 10th," Bush said.

Acadience results flagged first‑grade cohorts as an immediate focus. Bush and Hoyt said one school, Lorraine Elementary, has a notably high share of first‑grade students scoring below Acadience benchmarks. The district has already opened targeted supports, including more intensive “push‑in” instructional models, intervention specialists’ work, and collaborative action plans developed with building teachers during recent professional‑development time. "We developed action plans with our teachers, collaborated with them, implemented some progress monitoring tools and ... those students bounced back," Bush said of similar efforts last year.

Administrators described a possible misalignment between the district’s elementary core reading program (referred to in the presentation as Foundations) and the Acadience screener in some grades. Hoyt said the district will review whether the instructional core and assessment are aligned and adjust materials or pacing as needed. "You don't want to teach to a test, but you also don't assess what you don't teach," he said.

Math was another district priority. Board members pressed Hoyt on why junior‑high math proficiency is low. Hoyt said there is no single cause: students take algebra at different grades across the Commonwealth and the district’s mix of pre‑algebra, grade‑level and algebra courses complicates cohort comparisons. The administration proposed immediate instructional responses (diagnostics, DreamBox/IXL customization) and longer‑term resource changes: the district plans to recommend switching the junior‑high core language‑arts resource next month and proposes adopting Big Ideas as the math resource from grade 7 through high school; the elementary K‑6 math core is under review with a goal to present options and, if approved, implement a new K‑6 program in the 2026‑27 school year.

The board also heard about policy and compliance matters that shape instruction. Dr. Haller said Pennsylvania’s new Senate Bill 801 implementation is underway at the state level; the Pennsylvania Department of Education is convening a council to recommend evidence‑based K–3 curricula, professional development and approved universal screeners, and district staff said Exeter’s current course of action aligns with that process.

Administrators raised two broader context items: student transiency and economically disadvantaged populations. Dr. Hoyt and Dr. Haller said transient enrollment has increased and that several buildings now have high rates of economically disadvantaged students; Jacksonville Elementary was cited as about 60% economically disadvantaged. The administration said those enrollment dynamics affect year‑to‑year cohort comparisons and intervention planning.

Next steps and implementation: the teaching‑and‑learning team will bring specific curriculum and resource recommendations to the board at the February meeting, expand targeted K–3 work tied to Acadience results, continue implementing push‑in interventions and progress monitoring, and pursue a longer timetable for a new K‑6 math core (target implementation 2026‑27). Dr. Hoyt emphasized the district will use the Cycle of Improvement — review, plan, implement, reassess — as an ongoing process. "We need to get better, we need to improve, and we need to continue to strive for excellence," he told the board.

The meeting also included routine business and committee reports; board members met in an executive session before the meeting to discuss personnel related to an Act 93 contract renewal, a matter the board said was discussed in closed session.

For parents and community members: the Future Ready Index is publicly available and the district said it will post links to the district’s specific pages; administrators encouraged families to consult the Future Ready portal for subgroup breakdowns and to contact building principals with questions.

Sources and next reporting: administrators said the district will collect another year of assessment and benchmark data and report back as part of the cyclical review process.