Ms. Manske presented the state report card results for the Sparta Area School District, explaining technical changes to DPI norming and score ranges and reporting the district’s overall score as 66.4, a three‑star rating that meets expectations.

She told the board that DPI moved from three to two years of normed data and shifted weighting to emphasize growth for districts with higher free/reduced‑lunch rates; that change altered star‑range cutoffs slightly. On building highlights she said the district showed increases in achievement in multiple demographic groups and gave examples of growth at Montessori, Herman, Meadowview and SHS. Ms. Manske also explained that Montessori lacked a target group for this cycle because DPI’s membership rule left the subgroup at 19 students, below the 20‑student threshold for target‑group calculations.

The meeting’s Q&A shifted to student behavior and social‑emotional learning (SEL). Ms. Manske and other administrators described SEL coaches in each building, universal SEL curriculum, and responsive‑classroom training; they emphasized that families and community partners must be engaged because schools cannot address behavioral issues alone. "We can't do it alone... we really think we need to get parents more involved," Ms. Manske said. Board members suggested possible parent‑shadow days, expert family workshops, and regular community communications; one member asked whether classroom cameras exist in other districts, and administrators advised caution because of privacy and legal records concerns.

The high school team described preACT testing for freshmen through juniors as a strategy to give students early feedback and guide interventions to close gaps between middle school and the ACT. Board members thanked staff for the work and urged the district to continue outreach to families and community groups to sustain gains.

The presentation closed with an invitation for further questions and a pledge to return with additional materials on parent engagement strategies and the district’s plan to address behavior and attendance as ongoing priorities.