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Secondary principal reports renovations near completion; cell-phone enforcement and Firefly assessments highlighted
Summary
Secondary principal said classrooms should be finalized the week after Presidents' Day; administrators reported declining cell-phone violations and rolling Firefly assessments to give teachers better diagnostic data ahead of PSSAs and Keystones.
The secondary-school leadership reported progress on multiple fronts at the Feb. 3 committee meeting, including near-complete renovations, expansion of student-leader and mentoring programs, a structured after-school academic support hour, and changes to assessment practice to better align with state testing.
Mister Wagner told the board that if construction continues on schedule, teachers will be in their final classrooms the Tuesday after Presidents' Day, several weeks ahead of the original March target. He credited flexible staff and said an in-service celebration is planned for March 2.
Wagner highlighted the district's FFA program as a standout at the recent farm show: "16 students got the Keystone degree," he said, calling it "the most difficult" award and noting his program has about 160 students compared with larger programs at other schools that produced far fewer recipients.
On student supports, Wagner described a new after-school academic block (Monday–Thursday) staffed by teachers for targeted help, paired with SLAM students assisting on a rotating basis. The program is meant to provide consistent tutoring opportunities and community-service hours for SLAM participants.
Discipline and cell-phone policy drew sustained board attention. Wagner presented violation trends showing a decrease in incidents and defended the enforcement approach as necessary to change behavior: "Having a consequence that is serious enough for students to understand this is not something we can accept," he said. Administrators said repeat offenders make up a small core group and that consequences are designed to avoid long class removals while reinforcing expectations.
Assessments were another major topic. Mrs. Hogg, who oversees Firefly administration, said earlier technical issues made initial Firefly data less reliable but that subsequent administrations (December and an upcoming administration) will give more useful data. The district is adding a Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) constructed-response component and consistent rubrics for grades 7–8 to mirror state Keystone expectations; leaders plan teacher conferences with students to review results and use the data in the district's data warehouse.
Why it matters: renovations and staffing changes affect daily operations; the cell-phone policy has produced observable behavior change but prompted questions about trade-offs with other discipline priorities; improved interim assessments aim to give teachers more precise diagnostic data before statewide tests.
The board asked clarifying questions about consequences for repeat infractions, the time-cost of enforcing the policy, and whether other behaviors are being missed. Administrators offered to return with more detailed data and said they are engaging parents and staff as implementation continues.
