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Bolivar High highlights attendance gains, IXL expansion and calendar planning after state timing change
Summary
Bolivar High School reported steady attendance with a goal near 95%, noted a discipline increase tied to cell‑phone violations captured by SmartPass, expanded the IXL program into more subjects to drive interventions, and said district calendar drafts are being developed after a state law pushes next year’s start date back about a week.
District academic leaders updated the board on student attendance, discipline and calendar planning at the December meeting.
Mr. Blair, Bolivar High School principal, said the high school has seen steady improvement in the four‑year attendance trend and aims to push second semester attendance closer to 95% ADA. He said graduation rates have been strong — roughly 97.6% the previous two years — with a current projection near 98.5% for the cohort, though that projection remains preliminary.
Blair and other administrators attributed an uptick in discipline to cell‑phone policy violations, noting roughly 405–410 cell‑phone discipline incidents were recorded; staff said many were first‑time warnings and that SmartPass has increased visibility of truancy and location issues that previously went unseen.
Teachers and leaders described expanded use of IXL to align practice with state standards. "IXL uses our state standards… it gives teachers instant feedback," Blair said, and staff reported expanding IXL beyond math and English into Physical Science, Biology and Government to target EOC testing areas and to guide intervention placements.
Dr. Garber briefed the board on academic calendar planning and said a state law will require the district to start about a week later next year. The district has developed two draft calendar options for staff review in early January and plans to finalize drafts at the January meeting and prepare a recommendation for February.
Board members thanked staff for data‑driven approaches to interventions and asked that calendar options be clearly explained to staff and families before any final decisions.
