Roanoke County School Board reviews strategic-plan draft emphasizing leading indicators and coaching supports

Roanoke County School Board staff presented an updated draft strategic plan at a March 3, 2026 work session, outlining a shift to include more leading indicators, a coaching model for schools and a public feedback process.

The presentation, led by district staff, said the draft aligns with state law requirements and the division's "C change" framework while adding measures to detect problems earlier. Staff described pairing central-office coaches with small caseloads of schools to meet biweekly, develop school-specific goals and monitor leading indicators such as attendance and suspension trends alongside traditional academic measures.

"We're looking at making something a little simpler, a little easier to see and understand and it's more transparent," presenters said when describing the proposed indicators and dashboards. The plan groups metrics into leading indicators (early warning signs the district can act on) and lagging indicators (outcomes such as pass rates), and will include school-level data so principals can see progress over time.

Staff noted that state accountability rules are under review and that cut scores and pass-rate calculations may change year to year. To address that volatility, the draft proposes tracking state rank as an additional, score-independent comparator. The presenters said a bipartisan study (referred to in the meeting as the JARK study) informed recent state policy recommendations and that district staff are attempting to align locally to those recommendations.

The coaching model described in the draft assigns central-office staff to three schools each so coaches can provide targeted, preventative support rather than only conducting end-of-year evaluations. Presenters said the model will be supported by professional development for coaches, grounded in behavioral coaching techniques, and will emphasize constructive feedback: "It's not to evaluate; it's completely to coach and provide support, observe, give feedback," one presenter said.

Board members asked about specific metrics that would be tracked; staff said the draft includes measures such as third-grade reading pass rates, science pass rates, percentages of seniors earning industry credentials, in- and out-of-school suspension counts, and targeted survey questions (for example, whether students feel safe at school). Staff also proposed a public website and open survey to gather stakeholder feedback and pledged to present a public draft for comment before returning to the board for final approval.

The presentation emphasized alignment with school-level goals so the district and individual schools "are rowing in the same direction." Board members praised the plan's clarity and the potential to provide more direct support to schools, while noting the draft remains a work in progress. Staff said they will compile feedback from the board and community, refine metrics, and present a public draft at a future meeting.