Eastpointe Community Schools reports big gains in 18‑month benchmark review; Pleasant View credits attendance and new curriculum

At its Nov. 25 meeting the Eastpointe Community Schools Board of Education heard an 18‑month benchmark update from Superintendent Gibson showing the district met multiple process goals and exceeded several interim academic and attendance targets under a partnership agreement with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

Superintendent Gibson told the board that Eastpointe was identified as an MDE partnership district in 2022 and that the district met three district‑level process goals: creating a performance‑management tool, implementing the strategic plan and developing strategy guides for school turnaround teams. Gibson said the district exceeded interim targets for state and local measures, including ELA, math and attendance, and cited a rise in the district’s overall index and the School Quality and Student Success index.

Gibson said that, for example, projected local assessment (NWEA) growth targets were exceeded and that the district’s four‑year graduation rate increased markedly. The superintendent said the MDE “used language that said ‘we crushed it’” when reviewing the district’s interim results.

The presentation detailed steps the district attributes to the gains: a coordinated curriculum adoption process with teacher pilots, a resource‑equity diagnostic to guide material selection, building‑level 90‑day action plans and partnerships with external providers for leader coaching and student supports. Gibson listed partners including the University of Virginia for leadership coaching, Michigan State University extension for mentoring support, Northern Michigan University for a grow‑your‑own teacher pipeline, and local nonprofit partners that funded summer learning programming.

Principal Felicia Trice presented Pleasant View Elementary’s school‑level results and described the school’s UVA‑aligned 90‑day plan. Trice highlighted practices she said helped drive gains: small‑group instruction, targeted parent engagement (including attendance contracts and biweekly check‑ins), PLC alignment across grade and school levels, and incentives tied to attendance and behavior. Trice told the board she wants to “aim for 95%” attendance at Pleasant View so more students benefit from classroom instruction and assessment opportunities.

Board members asked how Pleasant View’s model might be adapted across the district, how internal data are analyzed to select curriculum and pilot materials, and how success is measured. Members praised staff and families for the results and framed improvements as a district‑wide, team effort involving administrators, teachers, parents and students.

Superintendent Gibson said the district will continue to refine the performance‑management tool, monitor curriculum implementation and convene work groups to support strategic‑plan priorities. He also said staff are analyzing enrollment data as the district plans a return to a K–5 elementary model based on parent feedback, with more detail to be shared at the Dec. 9 board meeting.

The board meeting included a public comment from parent Jana Parham, who thanked staff but urged the board to acknowledge children’s experiences beyond test scores and asked how the district will support students who feel defined by assessment results. The board offered to speak with her after the meeting.

The board did not take formal action on curriculum or the benchmarks at the Nov. 25 meeting; Gibson said some of the next steps are administrative monitoring, continued partner work and follow‑up reports to the board.