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Committee hears early gains from 'Character Strong' rollout; district to publish February data
Summary
District staff told the Curriculum & Instruction Committee the elementary rollout of the 'Character Strong' social‑emotional curriculum is showing promise and that the committee will receive academic and behavioral results after winter assessments in February.
At a Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting, district administrators said the elementary rollout of a new social‑emotional learning curriculum, Character Strong, is complete and that the committee will receive academic and behavioral outcome data after the district’s next round of assessments in February.
Speaker 2, presenting the update, said, "we rolled out a new social emotional learning curriculum, called character strong at the elementary building, and it's being very well received," and added the district will bring "academic data and behavioral data" to the committee following the winter testing window. The district plans a public-facing "live data wall" using STAR (high school) and FastBridge (elementary/middle) scores alongside engagement and referral metrics, Speaker 2 said.
The presentation described ongoing supports from CESA 7 staff, including consultants Katie Tennyson and a colleague identified as Ted, who provide monthly technical assistance on a multi‑level system of interventions. "They're supporting systematic intervention through a multilevel system of support in the building," Speaker 2 said. The goal is to track whether consistent classroom management and restorative practices implemented with fidelity lead to improved academic outcomes.
Committee members pressed for detail on what assessments will feed the dashboard. Speaker 5 asked, "In addition to that, what other assessments are we looking at now?" Speaker 2 confirmed STAR and FastBridge will be primary sources and said the district also will include referral and engagement data.
Speakers discussed plans for family communication tied to classroom character traits. Speaker 2 proposed sending a monthly communication to families describing the skill students are practicing and offering simple strategies parents can use to reinforce that trait at home. The district emphasized it will report hard numbers for academic and behavioral progress in February.
Next steps: staff will finalize the live data wall after winter testing and return to the committee with the compiled results and recommended next‑step interventions.
