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District presents student‑well‑being findings; officials propose schedule, curriculum and MTSS changes
Summary
Administrators told the board that multiple surveys show declining 30‑day substance use and an overall PSSM belonging score of 3.88. They proposed a digital‑balance think tank, a revised high‑school schedule and expanded MTSS to address engagement and self‑efficacy.
Mr. Cole, the district’s student‑well‑being lead, presented a year‑long synthesis of three measures used by the district — the state PAYS survey, the Panorama SEAL instrument and the PSSM administered in partnership with Penn — and outlined next steps to address gaps the data revealed.
The presentation said the PAYS results show 30‑day substance use trending downward in the district and statewide. "Our students indicate 8.9% reported having had any alcohol in the last 30 days," Mr. Cole said, and he cited additional PAYS figures for vaping and family protective factors. He also told the board that the share of students reporting they felt sad or depressed most days fell from 36.9% in 2021 to 29% in 2025.
Mr. Cole described Panorama findings showing elementary students made notable gains — including a roughly 10‑point rise in positive school climate — while secondary results remained largely steady. On the PSSM, Mr. Cole said the district average was 3.88 out of 5 for student belonging, with Lower Moreland High School seeing a modest increase.
Why it matters: administrators said the combined results point to strengths (family protective factors, extracurricular participation and overall belonging) but also identify specific priorities — intellectual engagement, self‑efficacy and some increases in reported bullying — that the district plans to address through targeted programming and schedule changes.
Planned steps include forming a digital‑balance think tank in partnership with PLP, piloting a revised high‑school schedule with fewer periods and a midday "lunch‑and‑learn" block to reduce evening time conflicts, administering Panorama twice annually for progress monitoring, and expanding MTSS to include explicit SEAL instruction. Mr. Cole also asked the board to approve a partnership with Penn State to help revise secondary reading lists and curricula to increase student engagement; that partnership was later approved by the board.
Board members asked follow‑up questions about participation and subgroup reporting. Mr. Cole said PAYS and Panorama participation levels are near universal, PSSM allows opt‑out and that small subgroup breakdowns are reviewed privately to avoid identifying individual students. When asked about gender and grade‑level breakdowns for the 29% sad/depressed figure, Cole said those cross‑tabs exist in the full dataset but require additional analysis.
The board voted to accept the report and the administration will return after the summer with an implementation plan and timelines for the digital‑balance work, schedule changes and MTSS expansion.
