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Board reviews district career and academic plan, seeks clearer parent communication and stronger ICAP completion
Summary
The board received a report on the district Career and Academic Plan (DCAP), including use of Xello for ICAPs, work-based learning expansion and a plan to raise rubric scores by strengthening five essential ICAP components.
The Indianola Community School District board heard a detailed report on the district Career and Academic Plan (DCAP), which sets career-readiness and four-year planning expectations across grades 8–12.
Shelley, a district staff member presenting the item, summarized the DCAP’s sections and the district’s use of Xello software to create Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs). She told the board that ICAPs are initiated in eighth grade, should be reviewed annually, and include five “essential components” that the district plans to strengthen as part of a targeted improvement on the state/regional rubric.
Shelley said the DCAP team decided to raise the district’s scores by one level across the five essential ICAP components and to produce a more detailed description of high-school course planning so parents can better understand options such as concurrent enrollment with DMACC. She described work-based learning as a three-part process (study, experience and reflection) and said the district is incorporating peer-led explanations, asynchronous content and a parent “hub” idea to centralize accounts and key information.
The report reviewed recent local changes to Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework (examples given: introduction to hospitality and accounting 3) and noted that the district’s regional planning partnership (RPP) scored the district 19 of 36 on a new rubric for 2023–24, with six areas “developing,” five “proficient” and one “advanced.” Shelley said the RPP and state Department of Education-trained scorers review and give feedback on plans.
Shelley also described an operational change: creation of a counseling and career teacher-leader position that will be filled by Lacey Chernes from the middle school to support counselors and help implement the DCAP work. She said plan submission to the Iowa Department of Education was expected later in the month unless the board requested changes.
Board members asked procedural questions about who sets the rubric and how the RPP works; Shelley said the Department of Education issues the rubric and regional partners score and give feedback. The board did not take formal action on the plan at the meeting; the presentation was informational and the district intends to submit the plan after any final board direction.
