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RSU 40/MSAD 40 board approves revisions to comprehensive education plan
Summary
The RSU 40/MSAD 40 school board approved revisions to the districtcomprehensive education plan after a presentation from Superintendent Steve Nolan that clarified curriculum-review steps, changes to multi-tiered supports and removal of grant-funded behavioral-health screening language.
Superintendent Steve Nolan told the RSU 40/MSAD 40 school board that the district will implement a set of revisions to its comprehensive education plan and asked the board to approve the changes at the meeting.
"You have a version that includes the proposed revisions, and you'll find that near the back of your board packet," Nolan said, explaining that the packet shows both unchanged and revised sections. He said the plan update includes a new curriculum-review process and language updates intended to align learning expectations across grades.
Nolan described three overarching goals in the plan: student learning, personnel development and finance/facilities oversight. Under the student-learning goal he said the district will "create a curriculum review process to assist in selecting primary resources" and post those primary resources on the district website. He also described a revised multi-tiered system of supports, saying the updated diagram positions about 80 to 90 percent of students in tier 1, 10 to 15 percent needing targeted interventions and roughly 2 to 5 percent needing intensive supports.
Board members asked whether the 2 to 5 percent figure described the district's special-education population. Nolan replied that about 22 percent of students receive special-education services and said those students may require supports across tiers depending on need. He asked Karen Brackett to confirm the number.
Nolan also told the board that language about screening for behavioral-health needs was being removed because the grant that funded that work is no longer available. "We are proposing to remove the language for screening for behavioral health needs," Nolan said, explaining the decision reflected the change in available grant funding.
After discussion about assessment reporting and the scope of primary resources to be listed online, the board moved, seconded and approved the revisions as recommended by the district committees. The motion passed during the meeting and the board chair announced the plan revisions were approved.
The board will see the revised comprehensive education plan posted with the changes described at the meeting; Superintendent Nolan said staff would continue to report assessment and implementation progress to the board through the year.
