Officials report improved attendance, new junior‑high reading intervention at Altoona Area SD

A district official presenting the State of the District reported that student attendance is improving at the junior high and high school levels, with fewer students reaching the 10%‑absence chronic threshold and fewer cases advancing to magistrate prosecutions.

The presenter said the district has reduced the number of students requiring formal attendance remediation by focusing on localized interventions: timely personal phone calls, home visits when students begin to miss several days, teacher outreach from homeroom and in‑class engagement, and attendance improvement plans for students with six or more legal absences. 'They gotta be in their seats,' the presenter said, stressing attendance as the foundation for academic progress.

Board members asked about the process for the new junior‑high reading program. Staff answered that the district evaluated multiple interventions, selected a program that allowed small‑ and whole‑group instruction, and trained staff: the literacy coach and the special‑education supervisor attended training and brought the curriculum back to teachers. A small team, including staff who traveled to Texas and met the program's originator, led the implementation. Instructional coaches at elementary and secondary levels are supporting classroom integration, job‑embedded training and ongoing assessment to measure effectiveness.

Student representative Miss Krug also reported district activities and student successes: an upcoming cereal drive from Jan. 12–29 for the food pantry, recent wins by the mock trial team, AHS cheer placing 14th at state, and an outdoor hockey game at Penn State Beaver Stadium scheduled for Jan. 29 (puck drop 6:15 p.m.).

Administrators said they can provide exact comparative attendance numbers to board members upon request; no specific comparative figures were read into the record during the meeting.