District staff outline 3‑year plan to boost proficiency, attendance and engagement

District curriculum and central office staff led a board retreat on July 15 that laid out a year‑two implementation plan meant to raise student proficiency, increase attendance and make engagement the district’s central instructional priority.

The presentation, led by a district presenter (identified in the transcript as S2) and the curriculum team (S6 and S7), framed year 1 as "clearing the land," year 2 as "building structures" and year 3 as maintaining gains. Staff set out three core phases for the work: identify needs through assessments, adopt promising practices and build accountability systems so leaders can tell whether changes are working.

Why it matters: Staff tied the plan to measurable targets. Presenters described a stretch proficiency goal — "80% of our students will score 70% or better on standards" — and a district attendance expectation of 90% by grade and site. For students far below proficiency, staff said more aggressive growth is required, citing a 25% minimum growth expectation generally and up to 50% growth targets for the lowest performers.

Curriculum staff outlined the Essential 10 instructional elements the district will prioritize, including curriculum mapping and a focus on tier 1 instruction, spiral review and targeted tier 2/3 interventions. As one presenter put it, "Engagement... That is our golden nugget, engagement," and staff said engagement will be operationalized through adopted models of instruction and classroom walkthroughs.

The curriculum team reviewed year‑one activities that support the rollout — summer tutoring and a themed summer school, district formative assessments uploaded into the district platform, and reusable classroom materials bought for hands‑on learning — and described a new coaching continuum to stage supports for teachers. Staff said the district will monitor fidelity through regular data conversations, PLCs, classroom visits and an adjusted evaluation platform.

Board members worked in pairs on a data‑review exercise intended to sharpen questions they should ask site leaders. Questions from trustees included how the district will move students making no growth, how new teachers will learn local cultural context, and how parents will be engaged (ParentVUE was cited as a parent‑engagement tool). The curriculum team said some strategies will be site specific but stressed MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support) and planned ILT modeling to build consistent practice.

Staff also flagged implementation fixes: aligning Beyond Textbooks (the district curriculum resource) calendars to the district year at a glance (YAG), preloading district formative assessments to lower teacher workload and sending teams to a Beyond Textbooks conference to improve fidelity.

Quotes from the record include a mission statement read by curriculum staff: "Our students will be loved, encouraged, and prepared to take on the world," and a presentation line stressing accountability: "Show me as part of your system evidence of this." Another presenter told board members: "If you don't see it, I still don't hear it, but I would like to hear it next time that you have your system in place," asking trustees to request concrete evidence at future meetings.

The retreat closed with exit‑ticket reflections from board members and a request that members leave presentation packets for subsequent days. The board took formal motions at the start and end of the session: routine business was approved early in the meeting and the board adjourned after a final voice vote (see "Votes at a glance").

What’s next: Staff said board members will see site‑level three‑year plans and more detailed benchmark data during the following days of retreats and at upcoming site presentations. They asked trustees to use the "here's what / so what / then what" framework when reviewing future materials and to hold the district to the scheduled data conversations and classroom monitoring.