Bullhead City School Board adopts quarterly benchmarks for district assessments

The Bullhead City School Board on June 10 voted to adopt quarterly benchmarks for the 2025–26 school year, moving away from the vendor’s preset three-test model.

Jen, the district’s assessment presenter, told the board the district’s new assessment platform lets staff select question depth of knowledge and tie items to pacing guides, which she said “would better measure, we think, growth and retention of the standards.” Board member Charlene Diaz said the quarterly approach would give teachers and administrators a clearer classroom picture, noting it “would give us the best picture of what's really happening in the classrooms and how the teaching's going.”

Staff outlined three options: the vendor’s three preset benchmarks (beginning/middle/end), district‑created quarterly benchmarks aligned to pacing guides, or a hybrid that preserves a pre‑ and post‑benchmark while inserting quarterly checks. The district’s leadership team — principals and assistant principals — reportedly voted unanimously for the mid‑quarter/quarterly option during the workshop discussion.

Board members discussed teacher involvement in designing or vetting the district‑created benchmarks; presenters said an assessment committee with one representative per school had discussed the options but teachers were not individually polled districtwide. The board emphasized teacher input and staff said common formative data and the platform’s standards‑tracking capability would allow teachers to monitor progress between benchmarks.

A motion to accept the district’s quarterly benchmark option was made and approved by roll call; Melinda Sobrowski, Charlene Diaz, Barb Zarczicki and Judy Reid voted in favor. Board minutes note the district will proceed to implement the chosen schedule and return as needed with procedural details and timelines.