Board hears plan to pilot team-based staffing and end online elementary assessment at Running Creek

District staff described a proposed instructional model for Running Creek designed for small-grade enrollment settings, and said a parent meeting is scheduled to explain details and gather feedback.

Director Dan explained the team-based staffing approach: students would be assigned to a team (K-1, 2-3, 4-5) with a home classroom but moved into small, needs-based groups during core instruction so staff can focus on mastery. He said the model "floods" core instruction times with additional staff (reading interventionists, special-education teachers, math interventionists) so students are grouped by skill rather than strictly by chronological grade.

Dan described expected benefits: targeted remediation without pulling struggling students out of critical instruction, opportunities to accelerate students who are ready, and relief for teachers by narrowing planning focus. He said the district will stop using I-Ready online assessment in the elementary schools and instead use short in-person probes such as DIBELS and Cadence math to assess skills and group students.

Dan said a parent information meeting will be held next Wednesday evening at Running Creek to present the model and take questions; staff emphasized the change is initially limited to Running Creek with the hope that practices might influence other elementary sites over time.

Board members asked whether Singing Hills would see the same changes; staff said Singing Hills already uses organic grouping and will continue to use common assessments so apples-to-apples data remain available across schools.

No formal board action was taken; staff will host the parent meeting and refine implementation timelines based on parent feedback and staffing plans.