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Superintendent outlines 2025–26 action plan; data initiatives and core values highlighted
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Smith presented the district’s 2025–26 Action Plan tied to three strategic objectives, reported progress on MCAS and MAP growth data, said the data initiative is ready for implementation, and announced deliberate team structures and monthly monitoring; one initiative (strength‑based instruction) was placed on pause.
Dr. Smith presented the Dennis‑Yarmouth Regional School District’s 2025–26 Action Plan during the Sept. 8 school committee meeting, framing the plan as a one‑year operational roadmap within a five‑year strategic framework focused on academic achievement, operations and facilities.
He summarized progress from year one: the data initiative that consolidates assessment sources and improves district‑level reporting is complete and ready to launch implementation steps, communications work progressed with a new communications and community relations coordinator, and new core values were approved by the committee in August. One initiative — centered on strength‑based instruction — was paused after leadership concluded the district was not yet ready to implement it systemwide.
The superintendent presented student performance evidence to support the emphasis on math and data‑driven instruction, noting multiple years of growth on MCAS and high growth percentages on the district’s national‑normed MAP assessments. He said the district’s increase in students meeting or exceeding state math averages rose by roughly 5.6 percentage points compared with a smaller state increase.
To improve accountability and ownership, Dr. Smith said he restructured year‑two work into focused teams with assigned leads that will meet monthly to monitor actions, timelines and responsibilities rather than relying on a single central monitor. He described the action‑step format as specifying who is responsible and target dates for each item.
During Q&A, Ms. Bemis asked what data would be shared with teachers and how it would affect instruction. Dr. Smith responded that last year’s work centered on identifying and consolidating existing data, and the priority now is developing data literacy among instructional leaders so timely, actionable information reaches teachers and PLCs. He said that will then drive decisions about interventions, coach utilization and resource allocation.
Dr. Smith closed by describing outreach plans to involve parents where topics are locally relevant (for example, capital planning at particular schools) and reiterated a theme he used at convocation: "progress, not perfection," urging incremental steps and shared ownership as the district advances the plan.
