Pulaski County Special School District received a district letter grade of D from the state this fall, district academic chief Dr. Justin Luttrell told the school board.

"Pulaski County Special School District received 381.57 points and that is a letter grade of D," Luttrell said, and added the district is "4.4 points away from that C letter grade." The state's new ATLAS rubric, he said, emphasizes student growth and particularly the performance of the lowest quartile.

The presentation explained that the state now produces a district-level score alongside school letter grades and that PCSSD has compared its standing with neighboring districts. Luttrell noted that 10 appeals were filed to the State Department of Education and four appeals were granted; appealed schools are marked with an asterisk in state reports.

Luttrell told trustees that growth carries a large weight in the rubric: at the elementary and middle-school level, roughly two-thirds of the letter grade is tied to growth measures, and high-school grades include graduation and success-ready indicators as well. Because growth is central, the district plans to prioritize instruction that helps students meet expected growth targets, especially those in the lowest-performing groups.

"We're actually looking at the lower 33%" rather than only the state's lowest 25%, Luttrell said, explaining the district is running its own reporting to account for high student mobility and to ensure school leaders can track who is in the relevant growth buckets.

Board members pressed for school-level detail and were directed to downloadable state reports and district exports that let principals see achievement, growth and the specific scale scores that produce a letter grade. Luttrell said the district will present targeted academic data and specific improvement actions to the board monthly so trustees can monitor progress.

Trustees and parents also discussed student motivation on standardized tests. One parent suggested an "all-hands-on-deck" approach to proctoring; student board member Josiah Warrior Benson said teacher intentionality and student goal-setting influence whether students engage with testing.

Luttrell said the district has begun classroom-level work to strengthen tier-1 instruction, to expand interventions for reading and to ensure consistent curricula in grades nine and ten. He also credited earlier changes to device policies with improved student engagement in classrooms.

The board accepted the academic update and scheduled continued monthly academic reporting as the district pursues its strategy to raise growth and school letter grades.