Pierce Middle principal reports test-score gains and rising suspensions at board meeting

Principal Jackson told the South Redford Board of Education on Tuesday that Pierce Middle School has recorded measurable academic gains this school year while also noting a rise in recorded suspensions.

"When we look from fall to winter, we saw a 6% decrease in our students that were two or three grade levels below" in reading on I-Ready, Principal Jackson said, and described similar movement in math where the school saw a 6% decrease in the red category and a 5% increase in students on grade level. She said cohort M-STEP results showed reading proficiency increases for the tracked grades, and highlighted a 16% increase in social studies proficiency for last year's eighth-grade cohort.

Jackson described steps the school is taking to sustain growth: continued use of a balanced assessment system (I-Ready given three times annually), targeted interventions including small-group instruction and intervention classes, and a summer school requirement for students who fail two or more quarters of core classes or do not pass math and ELA. "We are now in the end of year assessment window," she said, noting the districts goal to close achievement gaps.

At the same time, Jackson reported discipline data showing suspensions rose in the current reporting window. For September to March, Pierce had 190 suspensions in a prior year when enrollment was 583; in the current year enrollment rose to 648 and suspensions were 255 over the same September-to-March window. In a question from the chair, Jackson clarified that the district does not use in-school suspension and that the counts reflect out-of-school suspensions as well as after-school and lunch detentions.

Jackson outlined additional school priorities: expanding PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) with monthly house assemblies, continuing restorative practices and alternatives to suspension, reviewing the master schedule annually, and sustaining family engagement with PTO partnerships. She listed extracurricular offerings and recent highlights, including cheer and dance competition wins, a drama production, robotics and esports participation, and planned curriculum reviews (noting a recent science curriculum change) to better align instruction with state assessments.

The board thanked Jackson and asked follow-up questions about absenteeism patterns and staff presence. Jackson said chronic absenteeism varies by season and that attendance tends to dip at cold times of year and toward the end of the school year.