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Board hears annual long‑range strategic plan report highlighting higher ACT literacy and graduation gains
Summary
District staff presented the 2025–26 long‑range strategic plan annual report, noting ACT literacy averaged 76% (a record high), a graduation rate exceeding 90% for the first time, and planned expansion of early learning Morningstar classrooms; student well‑being survey data from the state remains delayed.
Casey (district presenter) summarized the district’s 2025–26 annual report on the long‑range strategic plan, walking trustees through progress and next steps for goals that include grade‑level reading, graduation, early literacy, PLCs and staff and student well‑being.
Key points included a long‑term trend of steady or improving literacy and a district‑level ACT literacy average that reached 76% — the highest on record for Bozeman Public Schools — and a cohort graduation rate that exceeded 90% for the first time. Casey emphasized the impact of multilingual English learners on reading measures and noted the district’s efforts to close achievement gaps for students with IEPs, multilingual English learners and students receiving free or reduced lunch.
Staff described an early learning Morningstar program whose participating classrooms showed large gains: district presenters said the cohort flagged for summer programming produced strong proficiency gains (presenters cited a figure of 82% proficiency for those students by spring). The district plans to expand the Morningstar program and other early learning work, and to continue partnerships with Montana State University and local providers.
Casey said Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data from the Office of Public Instruction is delayed due to errors and will be included later. On staff well‑being, Panorama survey results improved from about 65 to 69; presenters said that change is statistically meaningful for the district’s sample and that the district may explore moving away from anonymous surveys and making data more public to support improvement.
Trustees asked about principal and teacher feedback on presentation formats and commended the district’s use of site action plans and PLCs. Casey said once the board approves the annual report it will be posted to the district website and become part of the historical archive; the district also plans to bring the next five‑year plan to the board later this summer.
