Administrators outlined school improvement plans for the year, saying teachers had begun implementing CKLA at elementary schools and that Duxbury High School is pursuing an initiative to make classroom work more relevant and engaging for all students.

At Chandler and Alden elementary schools, staff described early‑year CKLA implementation as positive. Teachers reported lessons taking longer as staff settle into a new curriculum, but administrators said parents and students were responding well. “Parents are reporting that kids are coming home excited about the things that they’re learning,” a curriculum presenter said, noting district officials will measure outcomes against MCAS results in grades K–2.

At Duxbury High School, administrators described a three‑part improvement plan focused on rigorous, relevant coursework and alternative pathways that better prepare students for success after graduation. The school reported that 52 percent of students last year agreed with the statement “my teachers show me how our lessons relate to life outside of school,” and said it is setting a stretch goal of 100 percent agreement by year’s end. “I do think it will trickle down to the students; that is the goal,” said Kevin Stubing, a DHS administrator, of faculty working groups to design student‑facing projects.

Committee members pressed administrators on feasibility. Several asked how meaningful implementation of CKLA and the high‑school relevance initiative can be sustained given the loss of curriculum supervisors and other staff. “With Sarah Milner only being at our building 2 and a half days, it is really challenging,” a presenter said of the curriculum supervision gap, adding that reading specialists and other staff are filling roles but with trade‑offs in direct student time.

Social‑emotional screening and budgets
Committee members also asked about a twice‑yearly SEL (social‑emotional) screener the district will use to track needs. Administrators said the screener is intended to identify needs earlier and more systematically; they said elementary schools added a school adjustment counselor at each site in prior years and that the screener will help quantify demand for interventions. Administrators said the district has included the screener’s basic cost in next year’s projected budget but that additional personnel to deliver interventions would affect future projections if screening finds higher than expected needs.

Why it matters
School committee members praised the goals but repeatedly asked whether staff reductions — including cuts to curriculum supervisors — make implementation unlikely without added resources. Administrators said they will continue to prioritize PLC (professional learning community) time, faculty working groups and data digs to support teacher voice and to develop student‑facing projects from those faculty efforts.

Ending note
Administrators asked the committee for continued patience as implementation data accumulate and said they would return with progress updates, benchmarks and any budget implications that arise from SEL screening and curriculum rollout.