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JPS presents mixed benchmark gains at Kirksey, Cardoso, Peoples and Jim Hill; administration defends ambitious goals
Summary
District staff reviewed benchmark 3 data for several CSI/TSI campuses, saying goals were evidence-based and aligned with state accountability. Some schools missed targets but showed growth; one school’s biology decline was attributed to teacher turnover.
Jackson Public School District administrators presented final school improvement data for the 2024–25 school year for several CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) and TSI (Targeted Support and Improvement) campuses, saying the goals were set from diagnostic baseline data and tied to the state accountability measures.
Dr. Loesch, director of federal programs in the Office of School Support, reviewed benchmark results for Kirksey Middle School, Cardozo (Cardoso) Middle School, Peoples and Jim Hill High School. For Kirksey, administrators said baseline proficiency for seventh grade was roughly 20% in English language arts and 35% in math, with a prior science proficiency near 44.8%. Benchmark 3 fell short of the stated goals but district staff said Kirksey’s overall performance rose more than 10 points during the year.
Cardozo started the year with about 16% math proficiency and the district set a 31.7% proficiency target based on observed growth; benchmark 3 did not meet the target, and administrators cited staffing challenges as a contributing factor. Peoples began the year with roughly 13% math proficiency; staff said about 30% of students showed growth of at least one proficiency level across benchmark periods, informing a 25% end-of-year goal that the school ultimately did not reach but where proficiency nonetheless rose versus the prior year.
At Jim Hill High School, the administration said algebra I and U.S. history showed substantial improvement while English increases were smaller and biology declined from the previous year’s benchmark 3, attributed in part to turnover and two new biology teachers; the school provided targeted support after the first benchmark.
A board member asked whether the figures presented applied to all students or only identified subgroups; administrators clarified that Kirksey and Wilkins were identified on subgroup bases (TSI) while the other CSI schools’ measures applied to all students. Board members asked follow-up questions about how goals were set and requested school-by-school analyses for accelerated course access and dual-enrollment participation.
The presentation was informational; no board action was taken during the report.
