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High school reshapes administration, counseling and work‑based learning to boost student support
Summary
High school leader Mr. Daniel told the board the building reorganized administrative duties by task to create a dean‑type behavior contact, redivided counselors alphabetically into three caseloads, expanded work‑based learning (298 students enrolled in Kirkwood courses) and moved to 87‑minute blocks to meet state credit requirements.
Mr. Daniel presented a high‑school update focused on structure, student supports and curriculum delivery.
He said the high school moved away from grade‑based assistant principal assignments and reorganized responsibilities by task to create a single point of contact for behavioral concerns. "They wanted 1 person to be able to go to in terms of anything related to behavior," he said, describing the change as a response to staff feedback.
Counseling duties were reorganized from a ninth‑grade counselor model to a three‑way alphabet split so counselors’ strengths are more fully utilized; Daniel said the counseling team is beginning to push into small‑group work for at‑risk students rather than waiting for students to come to the office. He also outlined instructional supports: strengthened PLCs (professional learning communities), lighthouse teams to build staff ownership and a continued emphasis on formative assessments.
On career and technical opportunities, Daniel reported 298 students enrolled in Kirkwood options and said about 84 students had signed up for job‑shadow experiences, which he suggested could yield cost savings near a half‑million dollars for the district. He noted changes to the daily schedule — an 87‑minute block and adjusted semester deadlines — were implemented to ensure students meet state credit requirements.
On assessment performance, Daniel said the school saw relatively stable proficiency results, with significant growth in the sophomore science assessment to about 81% proficiency on the test he referenced.
Why it matters The administrative and counseling changes are intended to create clearer behavior supports, better use counselor capacity and connect more students to work‑based learning. Increased Kirkwood participation and job shadows affect district career‑readiness metrics and budget calculations.
Follow up District administrators will provide additional data on master‑schedule evaluation, PLC outcomes and updated participation numbers at future meetings.
