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District 11 outlines middle school accountability plan and a proposed "middle school academy" to boost grades and growth
Summary
District 11 presented a plan to reduce the number of middle school students earning failing grades and to raise student growth percentiles, including an early-response system, mid-quarter checks, and a proposed "middle school academy" for intensive support.
Colorado Springs School District 11 staff described a new middle school accountability system Wednesday aimed at reducing failures in core courses and improving academic growth.
Area Superintendent Darren Joyner and the district's instructional leaders told the board that roughly 34 percent of middle school students have student growth percentiles (SGP) of 35 or below in English language arts and about 38 percent are at that level in math. The district's minimum target growth is an SGP of 50, staff said.
District staff said the plan will use Education Insights reporting to trigger earlier interventions at mid-quarter and end-of-quarter checkpoints, prompting actions such as family contact, goal planning, weekly staff check-ins and more frequent progress monitoring. Area superintendents and principals will have oversight responsibility to ensure consistent implementation across schools.
One of the central ideas is a proposed "middle school academy" for students who remain in the accountability system an entire school year. That academy would offer an intensive learning environment with tight structures, mental health supports and executive functioning instruction designed to return students to their home schools once they are on track. Staff said the academy would be built out during the 2026-27 school year and would be informed by ongoing principal and teacher input.
Board members asked for clarity on metrics (how grades correlate to learning), program overlap with AVID and other supports, transportation and location options (region-based vs. one site), and staffing models. Staff said they will provide data updates and a fall progress report; the district will implement the accountability components at the start of the next school year with mid-quarter monitoring built into the schedule.
Director Carey emphasized that lowering the number of failing grades must reflect real learning gains, not grade inflation or administrative fixes: "There are some very easy ways to do that that do not accomplish the mission," he said.
Staff said they will return with additional details and an update by the October break and that the district will focus on aligning grading practices with learning standards to make SGP and grade-based measures more meaningful.
