Robbinsdale leaders present initial 2025–26 balanced scorecard; suspensions fall but disproportionality persists

Robbinsdale Area School District leaders on July 9 presented the first-look results from the 2025–26 balanced scorecard, a new continuous-improvement tool that combines perception, outcome and implementation data across four strategic priorities.

Superintendent Stallo introduced senior director Becky Brodier and Dr. Algren, assistant director of learning analytics and impact, who told the board the presentation is an “initial review” and that a fuller analysis will return in November. Dr. Algren said the district piloted new caregiver and staff surveys this year and collected student survey responses for grades 4–12. The caregiver survey drew 851 responses—about 10% of caregivers—while the staff survey had 772 responses, roughly 45% of employees; Dr. Algren cautioned that low caregiver response limits generalizability but provides a baseline.

On academic measures, the district showed mixed results across assessment platforms. Leaders noted differences among assessment tools—TS Gold versus early reading and math platforms—and warned the platforms measure distinct constructs, so direct comparisons can be misleading. The board was shown a state-reported 7‑year graduation rate that rose from 88.9% to 89.4% (a 0.5 percentage-point increase) for the prior reporting year.

The district pointed to notable positive outcome trends in student engagement and safety: out-of‑school suspensions dropped from 1,106 to 868 (a 21% decrease) and office referrals fell from 3,883 to 2,279 (a 41% decrease). Average daily attendance rose to about 90%.

But administration flagged a serious equity concern: 92.8% of suspensions involved students of color while students of color make up 66% of the district’s enrollment. “We’re bringing this to building leaders and doing root-cause analysis so we can figure out whether district practices or site-specific policies are driving disproportionality,” Dr. Algren said.

Board members asked detailed follow-up questions about survey scale and timing, outreach strategies to increase caregiver participation, whether younger students could be surveyed by age‑appropriate methods and which metrics should be public-facing versus internal monitoring. Director Bowman asked why caregiver participation was low; Dr. Algren said the survey was open for a month and sent multiple times but may have been better timed and distributed in different ways.

Administration emphasized implementation data—whether adopted practices are happening consistently across classrooms and buildings—will be a priority going into the next school year. Superintendent Stallo and staff said the district will continue building-level deep dives, publish more details for board review, and return with the comprehensive year‑end analysis in November.

The presentation concluded with an outline of four proposed strategic priorities for 2026–27—academic achievement, student engagement and wellness, collaboration and partnerships, and staff investment and impact—each tied to implementation monitoring under a multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS). The board did not vote on the priorities at the meeting; administration plans to bring a board‑approved document forward at a later meeting.

The board requested additional breakdowns and public-facing materials: a list of the 16 advisory committees referenced in the presentation, all‑students assessment summaries, and comparative statewide data where available. Administration agreed to provide those materials in future reports.