Southside Middle School tells board its data-driven approach lifted student engagement and extracurricular participation

Southside Middle School administrators told the Muncie Community Schools Board about a set of classroom and extracurricular changes they say have improved student engagement and academic progress.

At a presentation to the board, a school representative described a system of weekly mastery checks and classroom "data boards" that track individual students’ mastery of standards. The school said teachers use the data to run power-rotation catch-up lessons, coach specific skills and invite students to voluntary "boot-camp" sessions after school focused on math and English standards.

The presenter said the approach aimed to move students from the lowest bands on internal checks to proficiency by showing individual progress, and credited the method with lowering discipline referrals and improving monthly attendance. The school reported growing participation in athletics and clubs: track nearly doubled and girls basketball more than tripled in recent years, and students involved in sports or after-school activities have attendance rates around 90%.

Students who spoke to the board described direct benefits. Crystal Flores, an eighth grader, said: "My favorite part about being a Panther is all the support that I'm getting from all the principals to get my grades up, better test scores, better grades in general, just so I can have a better future in Central and beyond." Dalen Curtis and Cameron Dabney said clubs, drama and athletics helped them stay engaged and build confidence.

The presentation also highlighted staffing and coaching supports: teachers paired with content coaches, a dean of students added in January, and teacher-created visuals that administrators said helped create healthy competition and student ownership of progress. The school noted that individual-student tracking allowed teachers to celebrate smaller improvements that can lead to higher test pass rates later.

Board members and the state school specialist in attendance, Amy Parker of the Indiana Department of Education, praised the improvements and urged continued focus on raising iLearn pass rates while recognizing interim gains in student growth.

The board applauded the students and administrators; the presentation concluded with the board noting the work will continue through summer programs and other engagement efforts.