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Doctor Miller presents district academic review, cites growth in reading and curriculum changes
Summary
Doctor Miller delivered a year-four academic review highlighting curriculum restructuring, wider use of STAR/STAAR data and a reported rise in reading proficiency to 64.6% districtwide; he credited reading success plans and teacher collaboration for cohort gains.
Doctor Miller gave the Excelsior Springs School Board an update on academic work across the district, saying the district has shifted to a written, aligned curriculum and deeper formative practices that he said are producing measurable student growth. "My main goal is preserving the learning environment," Doctor Miller told the board, describing changes intended to give principals more classroom time and teachers clearer instructional strategies.
Miller said the district is using STAR early-literacy and reading assessments to drive targeted reading success plans (RSPs). He reported that, for the current cohort, 64.6% of students are reading on grade level and that proficiency for the cohort rose about 13 percentage points year over year. "We collected, I think I counted, it was like 800 pieces of data in 1 month of how ready a kid was to learn... and it was like 92% of our kids were ready with their pen in their hand," Miller said as evidence of readiness and responsiveness to instruction.
Miller described other district initiatives including a planned four-year curriculum cycle (this year focused on practical arts), expanded professional development (grade-level collaboration and "Tiger Walks" classroom observations), 17 student internships at the high school, continued rollout of Canvas as an LMS and targeted training choices (LETRS for some staff). He said the district has simplified the RSP documentation to limit teacher burden and emphasized that removal from an RSP does not mean a student stops receiving interventions.
Board members asked about early-grade literacy and data workload; Miller acknowledged second and third grades need continued attention and that data collection remains time-consuming for teachers. He said administrators are working to centralize tracking and to use the state-required reporting only as necessary for compliance. The board did not take formal action on the academic review; Miller said he would follow up offline on specific questions.
