Whitehall High outlines TSI school-improvement plan, adds Unified Sports bocce and previews extracurricular season

Whitehall High School Principal Dr. Paul Mays presented a multi-part Targeted School Improvement (TSI) plan to the Whitehall-Coplay School District Board of School Directors on Aug. 11 that aims to address attendance, expanded supports for English language learners and special education students, algebra alignment, and several extracurricular proposals including Unified Sports bocce and spring theater work.

The plan, required because Whitehall High is under a TSI designation, lays out six primary goals for the 2025–26 school year, Dr. Mays told the board. Those include adopting a new 9–12 English curriculum for consideration in 2026–27; expanding individualized online practice through IXL for ELL and special education students; strengthening an ELL replacement/enrichment course; enlarging the student service team to include special education teachers for regular case reviews; and piloting a peer-mentoring program targeting chronically absent and at‑risk ELL and special-education students.

Why it matters: Dr. Mays said the district continues to see lower performance and attendance among ELL and special education subgroups and that the six goals are aimed at providing more consistent tier‑1 instruction, targeted skill practice and monitoring. The board was told the plan will return for formal approval at the next regular meeting so the district can meet an Aug. 30 deadline to have the TSI in place for Sept. 1 implementation.

Key elements and implementation details

- Curriculum review: Dr. Mays said English department lead Megan Lloyd has been working with a team for about a year to identify a 9–12 curriculum and that any recommended adoption would be implemented in the 2026–27 school year to ensure high‑quality tier‑1 instruction for all students.

- IXL and targeted practice: Goals 2 and 4 call for IXL (an online individualized skills program) to be used to provide skill practice and monitoring for ELL and special education students; the administration described plans to streamline teacher processes to ensure regular follow‑up.

- ELL course stability: Dr. Mays said the district will focus the k–12 ELL facilitator (named in a separate personnel item during the meeting) on stabilizing and strengthening an ELL replacement course and extension/enrichment for students progressing rapidly in English.

- Student service team expansion: The principal said counselors, assistant principals and now special education staff will meet routinely by caseload to coordinate supports and monitoring for the district’s most at‑risk students.

- Peer mentoring pilot: The administration plans a small pilot of senior and junior mentors supporting at‑risk ELL and special education students, led by staff member Mr. Tice, to address attendance and engagement.

Extracurricular proposals presented

Dr. Mays also asked the board to support several program proposals for the coming year: adding Unified Sports bocce as a winter sport in partnership with Special Olympics of Pennsylvania (including equipment and coach training support), a ski and snowboard club trip to Lake Placid in late February (with additional weeks of skill-building at Blue Mountain), and two theater contracts (The Wedding Singer at the high school and High School Musical Jr. at the middle school).

On Unified Sports bocce, Dr. Mays said the team would compete in at least five events across the Lehigh Valley, would be treated as a winter sport (with athletic recognition and inclusion in year‑end celebrations) and that Special Olympics would assist with equipment and coaching training.

Board response and next steps

Board members asked about student overlap with other sports, logistics for new extracurricular trips and timelines for curriculum adoption. Dr. Mays said these items are informational at this meeting; the TSI plan and any associated curriculum or program contracts will be brought back to the board for formal approval (the TSI plan specifically was described as likely to appear at the regular board meeting later in August). No binding board action on the TSI, bocce, trips or theater contracts occurred at the Aug. 11 meeting.

Provenance: Dr. Mays introduced the TSI and extracurricular proposals during the Education Committee presentation beginning with his remarks on the school improvement plan and the subsequent program descriptions. The administration said the TSI will be presented for board approval in the coming weeks.