Perminta Middle School spotlights campus gains; district reports midyear CCMR progress

At the board meeting Dr. Katrina Lemons presented a campus spotlight for Perminta Middle School, outlining instructional changes and student supports aimed at boosting performance and culture. Lemons described the "Perminta Way" reforms (instructional PLC redesign, RTI fidelity, and structured behavior expectations), said the campus enrolled about 447 students with a roughly 20:1 student-teacher ratio, and noted three district academic distinctions in areas including mathematics and social studies.

Lemons highlighted arts growth (a choir of nearly 97 members, an expanding orchestra and a mariachi program) and said algebra 1 proficiency outperformed district and state averages for the tested cohort. She acknowledged staffing and culture challenges and described targeted coaching, home-to-school outreach and expanded recognition programs as responses.

Separately, district staff presented a midyear summary of College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators and targets. The district reiterated its five-year goal to raise CCMR from an historical baseline to 90% by June 2030; midyear numbers showed the district at about 62% overall with variation across campuses, a collegiate cohort at 100% and Cedar Hill High School reporting 57% for one campus cohort. The district reported dual-credit pass rates of roughly 93%, above an 85% target, and described pathway audits and alignment of industry-based certifications to meet new state requirements for CCMR credit.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about indicators and the timeline for final testing and senior verification; staff said additional testing and senior checks before February are expected to increase CCMR figures.