Kim Miller presented a state-required update on two federally identified schools, telling the Coffee County Board of Education that Coffee Middle School and West Green were identified based on FY23 performance in a single subgroup: students with disabilities.

"This is an update on our two federally identified schools," Miller said, explaining that the districts received notification in January 2024 but that the identification was based on earlier FY23 data. She said the state will review FY26 results and publish a new list in January 2027 to determine whether the schools can exit identification.

Miller described the district’s supports for the identified subgroup: specially designed instruction (SDI), high-leverage instructional practices, lead-and-support professional learning, and assistive-technology deployments for students who need devices such as text-to-speech tools. She said the district uses common progress-monitoring tools (FastBridge and STAR) and a universal protocol for accommodations (UPAR) administered three times per year to guide classroom supports.

Miller also outlined operational changes at Coffee Middle that she credited with improvement, including schedule adjustments to ensure students with disabilities receive services in the right setting, more frequent classroom visits by district staff, and consistent data protocols to use assessment results for instructional decisions. "We go a lot," Miller said of district visits, adding, "we've seen lots of growth and good changes in both schools." She praised principals and special-education staff by name in the presentation.

Board members commended the district’s work but noted external disruptions that affect performance comparisons. One board member cited nearly a month of instruction lost to Hurricane Helene and urged colleagues to consider that context when reviewing year-to-year test scores.

The district will monitor winter benchmark data after the Thanksgiving break and await the FY26 results that state officials will use in the January 2027 identification cycle. No formal vote or policy change resulted from the presentation; the item was provided as an informational update to the board.