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Alma School District approves curriculum and discusses ATLAS screeners, OLLI grant and curriculum updates
Summary
The board approved continued use of the district curriculum and administrators discussed adoption of ATLAS K–2 screeners, results from recent ATLAS testing, an OLLI grant application for grades 6–12, rollout of OpenSciEd for fifth grade, and a new K–5 agricultural offering.
The Alma School District Board approved the annual continuation of the district curriculum and heard administration updates on assessment, grant and curriculum changes.
Superintendent and instructional leaders described the district’s move to ATLAS for K–2 screening and noted results from last year’s eighth-grade ATLAS math administration: 190 students took the test and 170 met or exceeded their projected growth (reported in the meeting as about 90%; the speaker contrasted that with a cited state average of 52 percent). The board heard that one teacher (Miss Wells) had 50 students take an end-of-course algebra exam and that all 50 scored proficient, reported in the meeting as a 100 percent proficiency result.
District leaders also described a $10,000 OLLI grant application intended for grades 6–12 to deliver 48 lessons that administrators said are designed to build students’ critical-thinking, leadership and character skills; the meeting record listed John Maxwell in relation to leading that work. The administration said it has not set a firm start date for implementation but plans to use advisory and a third period ("3 a") as potential times for the program.
Curricular changes noted by administration included initiating K–5 agricultural education in fifth grade (Miss Wilson leading the pilot at the intermediate school) and adopting OpenSciEd for fifth-grade science. The district also reported splitting the high-school course catalog into separate catalogs for grades 9–10 and 11–12 for this year to reduce confusion as diploma pathways and concurrent/CTE options are phased in.
Why this matters: Early diagnostic screeners and curriculum choices shape classroom instruction, student placement and intervention strategies. The ATLAS K–2 screeners will give earlier data for targeted interventions; the OLLI grant would provide additional lessons aimed at leadership and character development for older students.
Details and next steps
- ATLAS screening: K–2 screeners were scheduled to finish the following day; ATLAS results for K–2 were expected to be available in October, with rolling availability in future years. The district moved from Istation to ATLAS for K–2 screeners.
- Assessment results cited: 190 eighth-grade math students tested on ATLAS; 170 met or exceeded projected growth (about 90%). Additionally, 50 algebra students tested and were reported as 100% proficient on the end-of-course exam.
- OLLI grant: District applied for a $10,000 grant to deliver 48 lessons targeting critical skills across grades 6–12; implementation timing to be determined.
- Curriculum changes: K–5 ag pilot (fifth grade); adoption of OpenSciEd for fifth-grade science; separate course catalogs for 9–10 and 11–12 for the current year.
Provenance: Discussion of these instructional items and grant/assessment matters appears in the superintendent’s report and related agenda items.
