Olentangy pupil services outlines preschool, MTSS and special-education supports as district grows
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Summary
District pupil services leaders detailed preschool capacity, MTSS implementation, a new Frog Street Pre-K curriculum, STRONG special-education training, and expanded EL professional learning, saying the work supports roughly 6,400 students who face documented learning barriers.
Olentangy Local School District officials presented an extended update on pupil services at the Nov. 12 board meeting, describing program changes aimed at supporting students with disabilities, preschool-aged learners and English learners.
Eric Gulley, assistant director of pupil services, Jacqueline Roscoe, director of preschool, and Director of Pupil Services Stephanie Dabrico (as introduced in the presentation) framed the work as part of the district’s strategic plan to improve learning, stakeholder engagement and internal processes for inclusive excellence. Gulley said the department is “facilitating maximum learning for every student,” and noted the district serves about 24,000 students, roughly 6,400 of whom face a documented barrier to learning.
The presentation highlighted Olentangy Preschool, a state-mandated program that currently serves nearly 300 young learners and uses a mix of integrated and pure preschool classrooms. Roscoe said, “Olentangy Preschool selected a comprehensive curriculum called Frog Street Pre k,” and staff reported initial growth data showing measurable letter knowledge gains after implementing the curriculum.
Board members pressed staff on enrollment, intake and the best pathway for parental concerns. Roscoe and Gulley walked parents through the district’s process: start with the child’s classroom teacher, then the building-level pupil services supervisor, and—if needed—district pupil services staff; Gulley also offered a central intake phone number for preschool screening.
Special-education staff training and monitoring were another focus. The district described STRONG (Structured Teaching Routines for Olentangy’s Neurodiverse Groups), a preschool-through-12 professional learning framework adopted last year and expanded this school year. The presentation said monitoring teams (organized by grade band) will independently review special-education documents in spring and provide feedback to improve compliance and instruction.
English learner (EL) supports and professional learning were emphasized. Officials said the EL team has delivered training to more than 2,000 staff members across preschool through high school and cited high satisfaction ratings from participants, calling the 5 Essentials checklist a useful training tool.
Why this matters: the district framed these initiatives as responses to rapid enrollment growth and as part of a broader effort to align professional learning, monitoring, and curriculum adoption so that more students access high-quality instruction and supports. District leaders said they will continue collecting staff feedback to refine training and monitoring processes.
Next steps: officials said parents will have access to peer screeners and parent education nights in December and January, the monitoring teams will reconvene for additional training in December, and the district will continue to report progress to the board.