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Mustang presenters tell board district scores are above state averages, cite staffing and testing challenges
Summary
Administrators told the board Mustang is outperforming state averages in many grades and subjects, reported gains on ACT measures and growth in AP/ concurrent enrollment, and identified challenges including teacher shortages, substitute shortages and the need for more instructional coaches.
Administrators and curriculum directors told the Mustang Public Schools board that district assessment results remain above state averages across multiple grade bands, even as the district enrolls more students.
Dr. Lisa Rohrer, director of high school curriculum and assessments, said the district is about 13 percentage points above the state average in several measures and noted that re-norming differences in state cut scores for 2023–24 account for some apparent year-to-year anomalies. "You're seeing those inflated cuts for '23–'24," Rohrer said, explaining the district re-scaled data to 2021 cut scores for five-year trend comparisons. She also highlighted that across most sites Mustang is scoring above the state in both ELA and math.
Presenters described several instructional supports that leaders credit for gains: strengthened common formative and summative assessments via a new LinkIt data warehouse, targeted reading interventions and a district coaching model. Misty Edson, director of elementary curriculum, said targeted reading interventions and a UFLI phonics roll-out have helped reduce the percentage of students scoring below basic in early grades.
The district reported postsecondary participation increases: 308 students took AP exams (496 exams total) with 218 exams scoring 3 or higher (70.78 percent for the district's seven-year trend peak); concurrent enrollment grew from about 315 to 414 students year over year; career-technical off-campus enrollment rose from 409 to 465 in the fall semester. "The AP students with scores of a 3 or better ... 218 students," a presenter said, noting this is the highest rate in seven years.
Administrators also flagged resource and staffing challenges. Presenters said Mustang currently employs 17 instructional coaches (including four at the high school and one at each intermediate/middle school) and noted constraints on expanding that number because of Title I funding rules and the federal "supplanting" prohibition. "When we use Title I funding, we have to be careful about supplanting," the superintendent explained during discussion of coach staffing.
Board members pressed presenters on the role of the new math curriculum and on checks used to detect drops in performance. Presenters said the significant differences seen between '23–'24 and '24–'25 were driven by state cut-score changes, not the curriculum rollout. They described quarterly benchmark assessments, PLC review processes and targeted reteaching to address emerging declines.
Administrators said the district implemented a cell-phone policy two years ago and reported fewer phone-related discipline incidents and more student interaction in social settings, though they characterized the evidence as largely anecdotal while suggesting it has positive instructional benefits. The presentation closed with a list of next steps including continued vertical alignment, expanded fidelity to reading protocols and further work on math interventions.
