Jefferson County schools set new academic-readiness metric, board adopts goals and tax rate

Jefferson County Superintendent H. Yearwood presented a new, district-level academic readiness measure and baseline data to the Jefferson County Board of Education on Aug. 19, and the board voted to accept the district's Goals 1–3 and to set the fiscal-year 2025–26 tax rates that will yield a 4% revenue increase.

The new metric combines standardized achievement measures and performance-based "defenses of learning" (the district's Journey to Success) to give a broader picture of student preparedness. "We want every single student to graduate prepared," Doctor H. Yearwood, superintendent, said during the superintendent's report.

Why it matters: district leaders said the measure is intended to show opportunities a single standardized test may miss and to drive targeted interventions across elementary, middle and high school levels. Presenters described gaps in proficiency and attendance and proposed modest, measurable initial targets to produce districtwide gains and reduce disparities.

Yearwood told the board that Jefferson County Public Schools serves about 95,000 students pre-K–12, noting demographic and need indicators included in the presentation: African American students make up roughly 36% (about 34,570 students) and white students about 32.8% (about 31,000); 67% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch; 22% are multilingual learners (about 21,000 students); and roughly 14% are students with disabilities (about 13,000). "Overall, our students are about 10% below the state average," Yearwood said of proficiency rates in reading and math.

District staff described how the academic readiness metric is constructed. Doctor Douthat, a district academic staff member presenting the pilot measure, said readiness is judged on a combination of standardized assessment results (MAP in elementary/middle; CERT at high school) and districtwide, rubric-scored defenses of learning that capture success skills. He said the pilot year produced participation rates of roughly 70%–80% and that the district intends to raise that toward full participation in future years.

The board heard details about performance and improvement strategies at each level: Melissa Sharon, principal at Stouffer Elementary School, described classroom-level implementation of high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) and small-group instruction; Doctor Monica Hunter Kirby described Du Bois Academy's progress-monitoring systems and an "assessment week" cadence; Doctor Joe Ellison and Doctor Stephanie Fluor, high-school leaders, described use of CERT for college-entrance exam practice, expanded dual-credit and career-technical dual-credit offerings, and supports for Tier 2/Tier 3 instruction.

Targets and commitments presented by Yearwood and staff include: - A proposed minimum 3% increase in third-grade students meeting reading benchmarks (an increase Yearwood described as moving from about 4,300 to 4,491 students). - A proposed minimum 3% increase in eighth graders meeting math benchmarks (roughly 3,900 to 4,100 students). - A proposed minimum 3% reduction in chronic absenteeism (identifying more than 900 additional students who would attend regularly under that target). - A proposed 5% reduction in behavior referrals, which staff estimated would represent nearly 7,000 fewer referrals and roughly 1,100 fewer suspensions if achieved.

Staff emphasized growth as well as proficiency. Presenters said many students show year-over-year growth on progress measures even when proficiency remains below state averages; Yearwood said growth measures indicate "60 or more of our students are growing and are expected to achieve benchmark." The board also received disaggregated data showing persistent gaps for African American, Hispanic, multilingual and students with disabilities.

Implementation and tools: staff described a districtwide rollout of HQIRs in literacy and math, use of MAP and CERT assessments, progress monitoring systems, performance-based assessments aligned to HQIRs and the Journey to Success rubric, and diagnostics such as CAPTI for adolescent literacy and OTIS for classroom formative assessment reporting. Several principals described school-level practices for calibrating instruction, embedding success skills in daily lessons, and creating systems for teacher collaboration and evidence collection.

Board discussion focused on the measure's relationship to state accountability and graduation. Doctor Ellison noted the academic readiness metric uses a higher bar than current state postsecondary-readiness rules because the district requires students to meet both standardized-assessment benchmarks and defenses-of-learning benchmarks to be labeled "ready." Board members asked about participation rates, alignment between CERT and SAT/ACT benchmarks, capacity for small-group interventions given staffing constraints, and how Journey to Success complements academic measures. "This is our most urgent call to action," Yearwood said about persistent subgroup gaps.

Votes at a glance — actions taken Aug. 19: the board approved the Goals 1–3 monitoring report (motion by Mr. Bass, second by Ms. Strange; outcome: approved). The board also approved the general fund tax rate that will yield a 4% revenue increase (real-property tax rate of 71.7¢ per $100 assessed value; personal property 73.5¢ per $100; motion by Mr. Craig, second by Ms. Strange; outcome: approved). The board approved the consent calendar items discussed that evening, including creating a position titled Special Assistant to the Superintendent (motion by Mr. Craig, second by Ms. Duncan; outcome: approved) and a package of professional services contracts (motion by Mr. Everett, second by Mr. Craig; outcome: approved). The transcript does not record roll-call tallies beyond verbal "ayes have it."

Public comment and equity context: during public comment earlier in the meeting speakers praised the district's efforts and urged the board to sustain focus on students who need immediate opportunity. Kumar Rashad, a high-school math teacher and Jefferson County Teachers Association leader, said many students need pathways that yield immediate employment opportunities as well as postsecondary options. Multiple board members and district leaders repeatedly emphasized the district's status as majority-minority and said policies and instructional choices should continue to prioritize closing long-standing achievement gaps.

Ending: district staff said they will tighten implementation monitoring this school year, increase participation rates in the readiness metric, and use formative system reviews and an Instructional Systems Monitoring Tool to track school-level progress. Principals and academics staff asked the board to allow implementation time for newly adopted curricula and diagnostics while the district continues to target supports for schools with the largest gaps and highest need.