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Tea Area School District highlights gains in math, special education and engagement in multi-school goal review
Summary
Administrators and building principals presented district and building-level scoreboards showing gains in elementary and middle school math and improvements in special education outcomes; staff described student portfolios, data dashboards and new summer-bridge supports.
District leaders and building principals reviewed the district's goal scoreboards and student achievement data across elementary, middle and high schools at the June board meeting, highlighting gains in math and improvement in several special education measures.
Presenters said the district's data dashboards are driving more consistent measurement and interventions. At the elementary level, staff described use of trend data (three-year Smarter Balanced results) in grade-level teams, the maintenance and use of student learning journals to track quick checks and topic assessments, and a book study on instructional strategies that will feed into summer professional development. Elementary leaders also said the district has submitted a JROTC application and adjusted an elementary expansion timeline to 2028''9.
The middle school described efforts to secure curriculum fidelity and common assessments to ensure comparable instruction among multiple teachers at the same grade. Principals described bell-ringer strategies, data dashboards and student portfolios used during conferences; student-led conferences were reported to have high student participation and to have provided different kinds of parent engagement.
At the high school, staff noted the transition to ACT testing, coach-led test-prep strategies and strong career and CTE (career and technical education) program results; multiple CTE student organizations and competitive programs were cited as producing state-level successes.
Special education leaders reported regional-leading proficiency rates for students with disabilities on statewide ELA and math assessments (examples given: 32% proficient in math, 28% proficient in ELA compared with a roughly 17% statewide average for those assessments), and about 50 students exited special education this year (graduation, testing out or completing transition at age 21). Presenters also described improved staff engagement and greater student participation in IEP meetings.
Principals and staff described several community and engagement programs'including WatchDOGS, a family picnic and a first annual autism acceptance walk'and school-level attendance initiatives, summer learning kits, and small recognition programs. Staff said they will continue to refine scoreboards and interventions, and that the scoreboards (district and building) are a multi-year implementation now in year three for district-level and year two for building dashboards.
Board members asked questions about conference participation, virtual options for parent conferences, and whether student portfolios travel between grades; staff said portfolios are pushed through Google Classroom and templates can be adjusted for continuity.
No formal board action was required for the goal review, which was presented for informational purposes and to guide ongoing planning.
