Port Jervis board receives four-year curriculum update and approves 2025–26 district academic plan

The Port Jervis Central School District presented a four-year update on curriculum and instruction and the board approved the district-wide academic plan for the 2025–26 school year during the Aug. 19 meeting.

District presenters summarized completed and upcoming initiatives: expansion of literacy coaching, development of curriculum maps and common assessments (particularly at secondary grades), piloting science-reading programs and new social-studies resources, investigating new math materials for grades 6–8, and increasing micro-credentials at the high school level. The administration also described work to improve data access through a PowerSchool-based data dashboard and a k–12 MTSS (multi-tiered system of support) platform.

Why it matters: The district said these steps tie directly to state expectations and Title funding requirements and are intended to standardize instruction, give teachers common assessments and provide actionable data to support students at tiered intervention levels.

Key points from the presentation - Literacy coaching and curriculum menus: Two literacy coaches will offer individual and team coaching; the district will present teachers with a curriculum-menu of options and features such as larger print and multilingual supports for special-education adaptability. - Common assessments and course mapping: Secondary content areas are moving toward mid- and final standards-based common assessments; the district reported most secondary courses have at least four common assessments in development. - MTSS and PowerSchool: The district migrated to PowerSchool and is building an MTSS management tool and a data dashboard that will centralize student data, attendance and health alerts. The administration said nightly demographic syncs and partial health-flag integration are operational; officials noted some health details remain in separate programs. - Family communication and ParentSquare: The district reported continued rollout of ParentSquare for mass and targeted communications; trial runs during the summer distributed schedules to families with analytics on views and bounces. Administrators said postcard mailings for routing/pickup were discontinued in favor of email and text delivery through ParentSquare. - Title funding and enrollment: District officials said Title funds had been received in part and that a pending portion (Title 3) was expected; the district reported net enrollment growth during the summer period (85 enrolled vs. 33 exited, a net +52 between June 27 and Aug. 19). - Portrait of a Graduate: District leaders noted the New York State Portrait of a Graduate regulation and said the district is reviewing implications and possible data-gathering from recent graduates to measure readiness.

Board action and discussion The board voted to approve the district-wide academic plan for 2025–26. Board members asked about PowerSchool features, whether medical/health alerts would be visible in the dashboard and about outreach to recent graduates to gauge postsecondary readiness; district staff said outreach was possible but challenged by students changing contact information once they leave the district.

What the plan requires next: The administration said it will publish the full report on the district website, finalize curriculum maps in the district curriculum-management tool, continue MTSS platform implementation, and pursue expanded parent outreach and alumni survey options. Specific timelines cited included early-to-mid-September availability for the curriculum-management migration and immediate publishing of the full district academic report.

Speakers included district instructional staff and administrators who presented materials and answered questions from the board. The board’s approval moves the plan into implementation for the coming school year.