Northshore School District presents middle school task-force findings; priorities include student connections and reading/math interventions

Northshore School District leaders gave a study-session briefing on the district's middle school task force, summarizing a year of work that used student and staff surveys, AMLE assessment tools and multiple performance measures to shape a multi-year implementation plan.

Dr. Riley, who facilitated the task force, told the board the group deliberately prioritized student voice in analysis: "60% of the total responses came from students," and the team used those perceptions alongside attendance, discipline, grade and assessment data to identify gaps. The task force narrowed dozens of recommendations into four high-level priorities and developed five-year implementation plans for each.

Dr. Joseph Robertson, who co-led the academics subcommittee, said the committee emphasized teacher'student interaction and engagement as central to instruction: "Instruction is active, purposeful, and, democratic," he said, and argued that evidence-based interventions for students struggling in reading and math should be delivered during the school day rather than only before or after school.

Presenters said the MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) framework and identity-affirming environments were central to the recommendations. "This isn't about a curriculum," Dr. Riley said when explaining the focus on advisories and schoolwide supports rather than a single SEL program; instead, the team proposed advisory structures, UDL (Universal Design for Learning) adaptations and professional development to help teachers meet diverse student needs.

The task force membership, the presenters said, included roughly 35 participants (about 17 staff, six students, seven parents and several building and district leaders) and also involved paraeducators, counselors and registrars to capture varied perspectives. The district used an AMLE successful middle school assessment and invited principals to meet with AMLE coaches for school-specific data reviews.

Board members asked detailed questions about access and rigor for highly capable learners, measurement of growth in content areas that lack grade-level tests (for example, sixth-grade science and social studies), and how staff will be trained to support multiple levels of learners within a single classroom. Carson, a board member, asked what steps would ensure "at least one year of academic growth" for all students and how families of highly capable students would see appropriate challenge; presenters pointed to prior AAP (advanced academic program) successes and proposed curriculum frameworks plus targeted professional development.

Presenters cautioned that implementation decisions will be constrained by current budget pressures and collective bargaining agreements. The task force's recommended implementation plans are framed as five-year pathways designed to "dream big but keep cost small," and the cabinet will align chosen actions with the district's annual operating plan and KPIs.

The briefing also covered potential choice models, including smaller learning groups, themed K—8 options and innovations modeled after existing programs such as North Shore Learning Options. The board president clarified that potential facility options for adding a middle school at the Ruby Bridges site were not part of the current bond measure and remain a separate enrollment/demographic discussion.

No formal board votes were taken; the task force is an advisory body that makes recommendations to the superintendent. Next steps include further cabinet review, continued principal-level work on MTSS implementation, targeted professional development rollout (including resources from consultant Emily Kirchner Morris), and future updates to the board as specific implementation decisions are proposed.