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Richfield Middle School tells board tardies fell more than half; sets attendance, SEL and academic targets
Summary
At the Oct. 6 Richfield School Board meeting, Principal Erica Barlow and her team reported a roughly 51–52% reduction in recorded tardies/partial absences compared with two years ago, outlined new intervention courses and set modest growth targets for attendance, social-emotional learning and math growth for 2025–26.
Principal Erica Barlow told the Richfield School Board on Oct. 6 that Richfield Middle School has recorded substantial reductions in tardies and partial absences and has set new academic and social-emotional goals for 2025–26.
Barlow said two years ago the school recorded “over 35,000 tardies or partial absences.” Last school year, she said, the school achieved “about a 51 to a 52% decrease” after implementing a weekly-data review, advisory-level tracking and targeted interventions. The middle school’s course-passing rate increased from about 95% to 96%, Barlow said, and the school ended the prior year with 95 “suspendable events,” below a previously set ceiling of 100.
The board heard specifics about this year’s goals: reduce tardies and partial absences by 3% (which Barlow said would equal 517 fewer tardies based on the school’s calculation), increase the share of students who identify as a “student” in SEL surveys to 56%, and have 54% of students make “typical or aggressive growth” on the district’s broad math assessment. Barlow also reported MCA reading and math scores increased year-over-year even when statewide changes were flat or minimal.
New or expanded interventions for 2025–26 described by Barlow and assistant principal Amy Hager include a tier‑2 Literacy Lab for sixth and seventh graders, a Numbers Lab for math intervention, a Spartan Success exploratory class for all sixth graders focused on academic habits and identity work, and an eighth‑grade partnership with Math Corps for targeted math supports. The school continues universal Tier 1 supports including advisory, Conscious Discipline training and a second‑step advisory curriculum; Barlow said FastBridge screening remains the district’s tiered screener.
Laura Ramsburg, introduced as the new assistant principal at Richfield Middle School, told the board she is “excited to be a part of this team” and described the grade-level team structure and elective offerings, including music, visual arts, Spanish and woodshop.
Board members pressed for more trend data and asked how the school identifies the causes of chronic tardiness. Director Tim Paulus asked which single change mattered most; Barlow said it was a mix of naming expectations publicly, sharing weekly data with advisory teachers, increased hallway staff presence and targeted interventions for students with “egregious” numbers (seven or more tardies in a week). She said advisory and 0‑hour classes are excluded from the tardy counts because of external factors such as bus or parent drop-off times.
On attendance follow-up, Barlow said the social workers and the attendance clerk reach out when families report multiple days of absence; social workers also connect families to community resources. Dean Tara (student supports) was identified as a staff member who meets with chronically tardy students to problem-solve.
Board members asked for longer trend series where possible. Barlow said FastBridge screening data are available only for the three years since the district began universal FastBridge screening, but other measures exist in earlier years and staff will try to include additional historical context in future presentations.
The board commended the Middle School staff for low turnover and the administrators’ visible presence in hallways. The presentation preceded other meeting business and led into the consent and action items later in the agenda.
