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Academy Park outlines CSI plan, targets attendance and 9th-grade literacy gains
Summary
Academy Park High School officials presented a Comprehensive Support and Improvement plan that targets attendance, ninth-grade literacy and math with research-based interventions, lab classes and measurable benchmarks tied to growth and state review.
Academy Park High School principals and instructional staff presented their Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI/ACSI) plan to the Southeast Delco School District board on April 23, detailing steps the school will take to exit its designation and improve student outcomes.
Richard Sharon, identified in the presentation as "principal of Academy Park," said the school's ACSI designation traces to lagging indicators from prior years and that the team inherited the designation when current staff arrived. He described the designation as data-driven and multi-year: "This designation actually predates this team...the official first designation for Academy Park was in 2018," he said, explaining why some of the metrics stretch back several years.
School instructional staff described three priority areas in the plan: attendance, literacy and math. Presenters said the district-level target for ninth-grade reading proficiency is to reach at least 40% proficient or beyond on the STAR reading benchmark by June, and the math target for ninth grade is at least 20% proficient. For attendance, Academy Park set a goal to increase the percentage of "regular attenders" (students present 90% of school days) by 50% by June 30.
The plan relies on research-based practices and external partners. An instructional specialist outlined supports including professional learning communities (PLCs), targeted interventionists (two English, one math), Panorama as an early-warning tool, ExactPath/Edunum tutorials, and partnerships with Catapult and the DCIU. The team reported the school's plan was approved by the state earlier in the year and that staff will refine goals when July and summer assessment data are available.
A central classroom strategy is "lab classes," described as a structured "double dose" model: students receive content instruction in a subject and then a second, rostered lab class focused on targeted practice and data-driven grouping. Presenters said lab classes are credit-bearing electives with shared lesson plans and regular data cycles so students who show growth can be re-rostered.
Board members asked about the validity of STAR benchmark growth and whether students take initial benchmarks seriously. Presenters said early benchmark scores serve as baselines, noted procedures for flagging and retesting students who finish too quickly, and described data conferences in which lab teachers review results with students and set goals.
Next steps: presenters said the fourth benchmark and Keystone exams will provide the final measures of the year's progress (fourth benchmark window and Keystone results are expected after testing windows), and the school will adjust action steps based on July data. District staff will continue to coordinate state-required reporting and implementation supports.
The presentation closed with the school's request for continued board and community support as Academy Park proceeds through its multi-year improvement timeline.
