RSU 38 administrators outline tiered school-support plans and targeted interventions

RSU 38 leaders presented state-mandated tiered support plans and school-level interventions at the board meeting. Dr. Karen Smith summarized the district’s designations and the reporting schedule, and principals described concrete steps they are taking to address gaps in attendance, math and reading.

Dr. Karen Smith told the board that the district currently has four schools designated as tier one, no tier-two schools and two tier-three schools; tier-three designation carries greater state support and coaching. She said principals will submit plans to the state, review them midyear and again at year end, and the district will summarize results in the ESA report in June (Dr Karen Smith).

Rick Sor, presenting for the middle school, said the building is identified for lower math performance among economically disadvantaged students and for ELA/math among students with disabilities. Key interventions Sor listed include small-group MTSS supports, DreamBox for math, Lexia for reading, corrective reading, a multi-tiered attendance-contact system and progress goals for standardized tests (Rick Sor).

Mr Boston reported Readfield’s priorities: tier-two and -three math interventions targeted to economically disadvantaged students, stronger progress monitoring for students with disabilities, and use of programs including BAR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks), DreamBox, Bridges, Encore and Lexia (Mr Boston).

Mount Vernon’s presenters said the school’s state-set goals include lowering chronic absenteeism to under 10% by June and reducing monthly behavior incidents by 50%; interventions listed included a leadership team that meets monthly, math-fluency coaching, fact-fluency kits and family-engagement events (Mount Vernon principal).

At Wayne, presenters described refinements to MTSS, a new "win time" intervention block and an online collaboration platform that allows teachers to share strategies; the goal is to prioritize supports that will help the school move off the tier-three list (Wayne Jacobs; Janette Jacobs).

Administrators said some early indicators are promising: one school reported a 67% decrease in attendance-related absences after implementing multiple interventions (principal report). District leaders emphasized they are keeping a range of initiatives in place while monitoring data to determine which specific measures are most effective.

Why it matters: the tiered system is how the state targets limited support and funding to schools with the greatest needs. For tier-three schools, the district receives additional resources but must meet program and reporting requirements; for tier-one schools, the district tries to sustain progress and avoid escalation to higher tiers.

Next steps: principals will continue implementing their plans, conduct midyear reviews with school teams, and district staff will provide a year-end summary to the board and to the state.