CCSD principals say pilot programs at Western, Northeast and Bridger show early gains in attendance and mastery learning

Clark County School District principals told trustees on Nov. 5 that a set of classroom pilots aimed at personalized learning are producing measurable gains but will require sustained support to scale.

Antonio Rael, principal of Western High School, described "Warrior Opportunity Wednesdays," an alternate Wednesday schedule built around three goals: remediate academic gaps, accelerate students toward higher-level coursework, and give teachers sustained professional time. Rael said about 60% of students come to campus on Wednesdays for one to four targeted "warrior" periods while all students complete virtual lessons for their six classes; class sizes on Wednesdays are roughly 10, giving teachers space for focused instruction. "We literally have a schedule that is evolving every Wednesday and responsive scheduling looks different every single Wednesday on our campus," Rael said.

Rael and other presenters attributed multiple outcome improvements to the model. He said Western's ACT math pass rate "has tripled percentage-wise" in two years and that AP course participation and exam pass rates have increased substantially; Ramona Fricker, principal at Jim Bridger Middle School, said her school reduced chronic absenteeism by "over 24% in two years" after adopting project-based learning and teaming models. Ryan Cordia of Northeast Career & Technical Academy described a four-year career-pathway model with mastery-based units, giving each student career coaching and unit-level pacing so students progress "at their own pace and ability." Cordia said the CTA now has 2,000 applicants for 500 seats and cited a 93% year-to-year student retention rate.

District officials and principals credited the gains to targeted assessment and teacher collaboration. Rael stressed short-cycle assessments and weekly PLCs that let teachers assign students to warrior periods by need. Kayleen Ellis, assistant superintendent for leadership and professional learning, outlined the district's project-based learning (PBL) pilot that began in 2021: the district has expanded from 15 initial schools to 38 pilot schools, trained about 550 educators and reviewed nearly 8,000 student surveys. "Ninety-eight percent of educators trained implemented at least one gold-standard project," Ellis said.

Trustees focused their questions on staffing, cost and evidence. Trustee Dominguez asked which teachers lead warrior periods; Rael said teachers rotate so half teach warrior periods in the first half of the day and half in the second, with the other half engaged in professional learning. Trustee Zamora asked about startup costs; Fricker said certification and vendor training carry modest expenses (one online PBL certification course cited at about $599), while Ellis said the district covered two years of professional learning with federal funds for the pilot cohort.

Trustees also pressed for rigorous, longitudinal measures. Presenters pointed to multiple indicators — MAP and PSAT gains, higher AP enrollment and pass rates, lower chronic absenteeism, improved teacher attendance and on-track ninth-grade rates — but acknowledged that some measures require further tracking as the models scale. Cordia and Ellis described steps to sustain the models through teacher-led capacity building, playbooks and continued partnerships with higher-education partners.

The session was informational; the board did not take action on the programs. Trustees and staff said they will continue monitoring outcomes as the district considers adding more schools to the pilots and expanding supports for professional learning.