Northfield High principals outline goals to raise attendance, credit recovery and college-ready participation

Chris Dibble, Northfield High School’s new principal, told the school board the school will prioritize three goals this year: raise building-wide attendance, increase credit attainment for students receiving free and reduced-price lunch and expand college- and career-readiness options. Dibble said staff will align those goals with the district strategic commitments for people, learner outcomes and communication.

The district reported an attendance increase for the past three years in presentations to the board: Dibble said overall attendance rose from roughly 62 percent to 80 percent for a group the presentation tracked, and the stated target for this year is to reach 90 percent attendance for students “90 percent of the time” and reduce chronically absent students to below 10 percent. Dibble credited a mentors program for measurable gains: 200 students received mentors last year and 76 of those dropped out of the chronically absent category, he said. Because the program proved effective, administrators restored the mentors program this school year and report roughly 100 students are already receiving mentor services based on attendance patterns.

Credit attainment and summer recovery were also highlighted. Dibble said staff developed a targeted credit-attainment strategy for students behind in credits; he reported a summer program working with the district’s alternative learning center (ALC) resulted in 114.25 recovered credits. He told the board the district aims to make credit recovery more efficient by focusing on priority standards rather than requiring students to repeat entire courses.

On college- and career-readiness, Dibble provided participation numbers: 343 students took 570 AP exams last year with about 75 percent scoring a 3 or better; 240 students participated in concurrent-enrollment courses; and 67 students were enrolled in one or more PSEO courses. He said increases in concurrent enrollment and expansion of work-based learning are priorities, and the district will continue to offer PSEO and college-in-the-schools options while noting PSEO credits are awarded by the college and the district’s role is advisory.

Administrators also described classroom engagement work. The school instituted a cell-phone protocol to reduce in-class distractions; Dibble reported a staff rollout satisfaction rate of 91 percent and presented student survey results showing the distribution of responses favored increased attention in class. Board members pressed about enforcement and consistency; administrators said adult behavior and universal expectations across rooms are key to fair enforcement and that staff are addressing inconsistencies through follow-up training and targeted discipline responses tied to office referrals.

Board members asked detailed operational questions about counseling, Raider Time (the school’s flex period), interventions and supports. Assistant administrator Rico (role not specified in the public record) described the attendance-system checkpoints the school uses, including bringing families in after six unexcused absences and developing visual, written plans for families. Staff described a tiered intervention model: a structured study center (SSC), a Superflex tier‑2 academic support staffed by content specialists, a problem-solving team that coordinates attendance/behavior/academic interventions, and expanded use of first‑hour teachers as mentors to check attendance and build relationships.

Board members also asked about counselor capacity and timing for early college application cycles. Dibble said counselors create timelines and pre‑ACT/PSAT planning is scheduled during Raider Time. He said counselors aim to meet students at least twice a year (fall and spring) during registration and goal-setting meetings.

Dibble and staff emphasized communications tools used districtwide: Skyward for grade books, attendance and discipline records; Schoology for classroom resources and calendars; and TalkingPoints for family two-way text messaging. Dibble said the district will track positive home messages so every student receives at least one positive contact.

Board members thanked staff for the presentation and welcomed Dibble. Several members praised the school’s engagement structures and asked for follow-up details the administration agreed to provide, including more specifics about the career curriculum delivered during Raider Time and continued updates on counselor and intervention capacity.

Ending: Administrators left the board with action items to circulate more detail about Raider Time career curriculum and to continue tracking attendance, intervention outcomes and credit recovery metrics for future board reports.