North Park Elementary highlights garden program and years of assessment data; district presents positive results from math‑coaching study

At the Nov. 14 board meeting, North Park Elementary principal Megan D'Alessandro showcased student work tied to a revived school garden, recognized staff and students, and outlined building priorities for the year: character development, improved attendance and increased math growth.

D'Alessandro described the garden as an interdisciplinary teaching tool used for science, social studies, writing and math, and said it connects to the Hyde Park community garden where seedlings are planted and later donated to a local food pantry. She also presented early MAPS growth and state assessment trends, saying fall‑to‑fall MAPS growth and increases in proficiency in ELA and math suggest positive movement compared with peer K–5 schools.

The principal told the board North Park's chronic absenteeism rate was 19.4% as of Nov. 7 compared with 26.5% last year, and described interventions including an additional school counselor and attendance incentives.

Kim Neisel, district director of math and science, reviewed multi‑year math and science data and credited the use of math coaches, a curriculum update to Eureka Math Squared, and staffing changes that shifted some assistant roles to certified math intervention positions. Neisel said Haviland Middle School made substantial math gains, rising to about 43.8% proficiency on state tests in 2024 from 14% in 2022 for the same school level.

Researchers from Marist, including Dr. Stephanie Purrington, presented findings from a study of the district's coaching program. Purrington said the study measured teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy and surveyed students' mindset; it found a statistically significant increase in teachers' sense of teaching efficacy after coaching, while student mindset measures showed limited change. District staff and the researchers recommended continuing coaching with better timing, communication and opportunities for veteran teachers to model practices.

Board members asked technical questions about cohort versus grade‑level comparisons in the charts and about effect sizes in the coaching study; researchers and staff described sample size limitations (17 teachers in the coached sample) and said future analysis would compare cohorts and seek more robust pre/post student measurement where possible.