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Dubuque Board hears strategic-plan progress; curriculum rollouts and preschool study highlighted
Summary
At a reconvened Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Hawkins reviewed the district strategic plan (sunset 2029) and presenters outlined near-term curriculum moves — i-Ready Math adoption at lower grades and elementary implementation of the Amplify science curriculum — plus a study of preschool/transitional kindergarten options.
Superintendent Hawkins reconvened the Board of Education and opened the district's second strategic-plan report of the year, outlining a multi-year timeline that the district says will run through 2029. She told the board the district tracks each priority initiative using status indicators such as "started," "on track," "on hold" or "completed."
The meeting focused on several priorities in the strategic plan. Presenters detailed plans to adopt i-Ready Math at the elementary level and the district's phased approach for middle- and high-school alignment. Bethany Smith, educational support team lead for elementary math and science, said, "i-Ready Math will be in effect next year," and described a middle-school study next year with a later rollout. The presentation linked that work to House File 784 (the Iowa Math Counts Act), which requires screening K'6ndash;6 students and biweekly progress monitoring for those designated non-proficient or persistently at risk.
On science, presenters said elementary teachers are implementing the Amplify curriculum this school year and that the district will adapt Amplify's assessments to fit its standards-based grading system. Staff noted the most significant standard changes occurred at middle school and described a staged adoption schedule for AP and middle/high materials through 2029 and 2030.
Superintendent Hawkins also introduced work on preschool and early-childhood options. Lisa Feltes said a cross-departmental team of about 17 people is researching program models, hours, costs and enrollment trends and is evaluating the possibility of a transitional kindergarten program. Feltes warned the committee is intentionally cautious about full-day preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, citing the need for play, rest and developmentally appropriate schedules.
Why it matters: The curriculum decisions and early-childhood study will shape instruction, screening and interventions in coming years and tie directly to state reporting and compliance under the Iowa Math Counts Act. The board was also told the district will continue community outreach on efficiency planning after a recent bond referendum failed.
The board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and heard several rounds of questions from members about disaggregated assessment data and subgroup performance. Presenters identified third-grade female students as a subgroup of concern in math and described interventions such as targeted progress monitoring and coaching. The meeting closed after updates on middle-school efficiency work and teacher retention initiatives.
