Principals present fall 90-day plans, emphasizing tiered instruction, attendance and graduation targets

At a September work session, principals across the Moriarty-Edgewood School District presented fall "90-day dash" plans that prioritize tiered instruction, new assessment tools and stronger attendance and culture supports.

Mrs. Lopez, principal of the Early Childhood Center, said the center’s CQI plan aligns with district strategy and sets ambitious early-learning targets: "Our goal for our ECOT scores is for 90% of students reach accomplished for three or fours on ELA and math," she told the board, adding the center will use PLCs, career-focused play in every classroom and three annual checks of executive-functioning to track progress. Lopez also said community engagement will total about 90 hours this school year and the school aims to increase attendance by 10%.

Elementary and middle school presenters described a districtwide push to use data trackers and common assessments tied to priority standards. A Marorti Elementary presenter explained the district’s transition from Istation to Amira, noting a change from five-level reporting to a three-tier system (tiers 1–3) and reporting that most Amira results arrive within 10–15 minutes, though a small number of student scores sometimes remain pending for 24–48 hours. Board members probed whether the platform’s interactive/AI components produced more engagement or frustration; presenters said responses varied by student.

Maldonado Middle School’s plan called for targeted interventions that "tier all instruction and interventions for math and ELA" and set a locally ambitious target to reduce the proportion of students in the novice/nearing-proficient groups by 5 percentage points over a defined review period.

At the high school level, Principal Natalie Romero outlined a two-part plan centered on (1) raising the four-year graduation rate and (2) improving school culture and attendance. Romero said the high school’s three-year goal is to move its graduation rate from 76.5% to 82% and that this school year’s benchmark is 78.4%. To reach these aims she said teachers built beginning-of-year interim assessments aligned to priority standards and will use student-by-student, standard-by-standard monitoring. "We are rooted in community, ready for growth and rising to excellence," Romero said, and described advisory-period changes and weekly student 'rise reports' intended to strengthen adult–student connections and reduce chronic absenteeism.

Multiple principals emphasized adult behavior changes—common planning, frequent walkthroughs and consistent use of priority-aligned unit plans—as the primary lever for improved student outcomes. Several presenters also noted limitations in available statewide or district-reported data (some published data remain embargoed) and said they will refine targets as more validated mid-year data arrive.

Board action: The superintendent recommended, and the board voted to approve, the fall 90-day dash plan reports as presented. The motion carried during the meeting; the board did not attach additional conditions beyond continued monitoring and integration into regular reporting cycles.

What to watch: principals said they will present middle-of-year interim results that administrators expect to make interventions more precise; the board signaled it will continue to review implementation fidelity through periodic reports and walkthrough summaries.