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Farney Elementary leaders set targets for reading, attendance and classroom practices
Summary
Farney Elementary staff told the Ottumwa Comm School District board they are targeting higher reading benchmarks and improved attendance, citing specific SIP targets, intervention plans and reported drops in behavioral incidents.
Steve Zimmerman, principal of Farney Elementary, told the Ottumwa Comm School District board that the school’s improvement plan sets measurable targets for literacy, math and classroom practice.
“At 73 percent of students will be meeting benchmark on DIBELS assessment,” Zimmerman said as he reviewed the school improvement plan. He and assistant principal Kelly Phillips described time-bound targets: 73% DIBELS benchmark by June 2026; 46% meeting I-Ready benchmark by June 2026 with a 66% target by 2028; and goals tied to district HRS measures for instructional fidelity and principal observations.
Zimmerman and Phillips described structures intended to reach those goals: teacher PLCs that hold monthly data days to examine student progress, targeted interventions and training for teachers on interventions they may not yet know how to use. Zimmerman said principals have a goal of completing five weekly observations by June 2026 and that, to date, the two administrators have averaged about 12 observations per week and logged 27 total observations.
The presenters highlighted climate and behavior indicators. They said Panorama family surveys show an 82 (favorable) climate score and roughly 80% of respondents report the school is safe. The presentation also cited a reduction in behavioral incidents presented as a 119% decrease compared with the prior year and chronic absenteeism of 9.52% (the presenters noted a state average around 16%).
On attendance, Phillips described a friendly classroom competition tracked in PowerSchool; she said one month produced a four-way tie in third grade with 99% attendance and that, across the past 30 days, the school’s attendance was about 96.24%.
Board members praised the school’s data focus. A board member said: “Really glad to see you're getting out into the classrooms and doing that walk through so kids get to know you.” The presenters also noted families and students are borrowing books, with 6,431 books checked out through Oct. 11.
Why this matters: the presentation paired specific numeric targets with operational steps—data days, PLC work and principal observations—so the board can track progress against named benchmarks.
The board did not take formal action on the Farney update; presenters answered board questions and received praise before the meeting moved on to other agenda items.
