Superintendent and principal highlight late-start schedule, teacher collaboration and district report-card progress

District leadership used the March meeting to summarize instructional changes and student-support programs across Loveland City Schools.

Principal Mr. Spencer described the first year under a new late-start high-school schedule. He said the change has improved safety by putting more student travel in daylight and appears to have produced mental-health benefits and more alert students in class, though he said tardy counts have not fallen dramatically. Spencer described how the schedule creates teacher collaboration time, weekly office hours for students, monthly staff meetings and department planning time. "Two times a week, teachers are offering hours for our students," Spencer said, describing opportunities for reteach and one-on-one help.

Spencer also reviewed the district report card: "We received a 5 rating overall. The one area we continue to work on is gap closing — we're at about 50 percent of the points and about five points from the next threshold." He outlined targeted work in math, English/language arts and chronic absenteeism, and described common-assessment practices, a curriculum map and an assessment bank that teachers use to align instruction and support new staff.

The superintendent and board members praised student programming that supports mental health and career pathways, and thanked staff for implementing schedule and curriculum changes. The board asked that teacher feedback about collaboration time be incorporated into year-end assessments.