Meadows principal outlines reading goals and attendance push ahead of school year

Meadows Elementary leaders presented their school improvement plan to the Ralston Public Schools board, saying the school will focus on raising reading achievement, improving student engagement and reducing chronic absenteeism ahead of the new school year.

Principal Lisa, speaking during the district board meeting, said Meadows aims to “meet [and] exceed state averages” in reading and to raise daily attendance. She described data showing strong growth in kindergarten and notable increases in fifth-grade advanced reading scores: “In fifth grade, 11 advanced to 22 advanced in the winter,” Lisa said, citing winter assessment results.

The principal told the board Meadows will reorganize schedules to prioritize Tier 1 instruction and use co-teaching, special-education and EL staff during core skills time. The school plans to expand diagnostic and intervention tools including a core phonics survey, UFLI interventions and IXL diagnostics. Lisa said those steps produced “pretty good growth” in early grades and credited teachers for the progress.

Nut Graf: School leaders framed their plan as an effort to sustain measured gains while closing achievement gaps. The presentation combined assessment results, classroom-practice changes and a set of attendance-focused strategies designed to improve learning time and outcomes.

Meadows’ summer and winter assessment snapshots were central to the presentation. The principal said about 30 of the kindergarten cohort made “aggressive growth” and that second grade showed roughly half the students made typical to aggressive growth. She also highlighted an equity concern: boys’ reading scores trailed girls’ and will shape upcoming instructional work.

The plan’s instructional components include increased use of co-teaching, backward planning to align lessons with assessment expectations, explicit phonics screening for K–2, monthly PLC cycles and professional development on Anita Archer strategies and inclusive practices. Lisa said the school assigned staff as “NSCAS buddies” to support third–sixth graders during testing, a low-effort practice intended to boost student calm and performance.

Attendance was addressed as a linked priority. Meadows set a daily attendance target of 95% and a chronic absenteeism goal below 10%; current figures reported in the presentation put chronic absenteeism “just above that at 11.” The school will continue themed attendance competitions, daily attendance boards in classrooms, a Monday-focused attendance-review practice, and family-facing communications posted via social media and the Mustang Minute.

Meadows also described student-led supports to improve attendance: children will track daily attendance on classroom calendars, teachers will greet students at the door and the school will trial student mentors for chronically absent peers. The principal said teachers and staff will be intentionally teaching social routines (for example, greeting skills) to reduce hallway disruptions and support belonging.

Board members praised the school’s proactive approach. Board member Jason said Meadows’ high achievement correlates with strong attendance and that the school’s “proactive” relationship-building is important. Several trustees asked about preschool attendance and the new traffic pattern; Lisa said she would follow up with precise preschool attendance numbers.

Ending: The board did not take a vote on the Meadows plan; trustees asked several follow-up questions and congratulated staff on the progress. The presentation will inform district supports and follow-up at future meetings.