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D20 lays out UIP targets and strategic goals, sets chronic‑absenteeism reduction path
Summary
Superintendent and learning services presented the district Unified Improvement Plan and updated strategic plan goals, naming math and ELA growth priorities and a plan to lower chronic absenteeism from about 19.7% to a target of 18% this year and 17% by 2027.
Superintendent Jolyn Patterson and Dr. Field presented Academy School District 20’s Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) and related strategic goals, focusing on measurable targets for literacy, math and chronic absenteeism.
The UIP—prepared to meet state planning requirements—identifies root causes staff say district leaders can influence: inconsistent research‑based instructional practices, curriculum not fully aligned with Colorado Academic Standards, and limited teacher collaboration and coaching structures. The district’s major strategies include strengthening professional learning communities (PLCs), using walkthrough feedback and aligning curriculum and instruction to priority standards.
District staff said chronic absenteeism is a priority area: the rate stands at about 19.7% and the district’s short‑term target is 18% by the end of the school year, with a 2027 goal of 17%. Dr. Field and Carrie Evans described data work underway to disaggregate absenteeism and identify subgroups and individual students for targeted interventions. "Chronic absenteeism is a new area for us; we're going to do a complete root‑cause analysis and engage MTSS teams and parent education," staff said.
Academic targets include literacy and math benchmarks such as 75% of third‑graders meeting DIBELS benchmarks and growth targets for middle and high school math; staff also proposed a target of 58% of 11th‑grade students reaching an SAT math score of 500 (higher than the state's recommendation of 480). The plan includes interim measures and MAP growth as monitoring checks.
Board members praised the specificity and asked questions about data disaggregation and implementation timelines. Staff said new reports and dashboards will be shared with administrators to track progress and subgroups and that professional learning and curriculum alignment work will continue in the coming academic year.
What’s next: Learning services will continue to share UIP materials with school leadership teams and report back to the board as interim measures are collected.
