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JPS presents school improvement data as Wilkins and People—s report very low math proficiency
Summary
District Office of School Support presented April benchmark data for CSI/TSI schools. Wilkins reported about 5% third-grade math proficiency and People—s reported roughly 9% proficiency; administrators cited teacher vacancies, extended leaves and curriculum implementation gaps and described targeted interventions and coaching.
Jackson Public Schools staff presented school improvement data for identified low-performing schools and described immediate and longer-term measures to accelerate math gains.
Dr. Leish of the Office of School Support reviewed April data for CSI/TSI campuses and highlighted Wilkins Elementary—s third-grade math proficiency at around 5 percent. The report noted a combination of disruptive staffing events including the death of a third-grade teacher and an extended FMLA leave for a fourth-grade teacher that interrupted consistent classroom instruction. "Their roles couldn't fully replace the impact of a dedicated teacher in the classroom every day," staff said when explaining why additional instructional supports were deployed.
People—s (People—s Bridal School in the transcript) showed similarly low outcomes in middle grades, with benchmarks indicating many students remained at the lowest proficiency band (PL1). Dr. Alvinette Buchanan recounted benchmark-level breakdowns across sixth through eighth grades and said coaches and classroom teachers were implementing targeted pullouts, 30-minute mini-lessons on low-performing standards, co-teaching, and differentiated instruction during planning periods to accelerate growth.
Administrators emphasized both the short-term measures already in place and the need for structural changes. As an example, they noted that at another school, Powell, every student participates in a learning-strategies course tailored to deficits and attends that course on an alternating schedule; the district is exploring replicating that model for incoming leadership at People—s. Network coaches and the Office of Teaching and Learning deployed intensive small-group instruction after benchmark 3 and scheduled additional monitoring when the district—s map results are released.
Why it matters: Low proficiency concentrated in specific schools raises questions about staffing stability, curriculum implementation fidelity, and scheduling decisions that can affect promotion and long-term student outcomes. The administration described concrete interventions and said it will continue monitoring and adjusting strategies based on forthcoming assessment results.
Source and attribution: Office of School Support presentation led by Dr. Leish; follow-up details by Dr. Alvinette Buchanan (Office of Teaching and Learning).
