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Jamestown principal and district staff outline test-score shifts, new instructional resources and PBIS rollout
Summary
School leaders reported a small dip in Jamestown Elementary's KSA color rating but highlighted targeted gains (notably an 8-point writing increase and a 2.5-point climate rise), described $1.6 million in ESSER-funded high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) and previewed a PBIS soft launch.
Jamestown Elementary's building leader told the board the school slipped from a green to a yellow KSA designation this year but said the change was expected and accompanied by measurable gains. The leader noted a 2.5 percentage-point increase on the school climate and an eight-percentage-point rise in fifth-grade writing after focused coaching, and described a plan to increase uninterrupted literacy and math blocks and a daily "WIND" ("What I Need") window for targeted instruction.
District staff described the instructional materials driving those improvements. "HQIRs are high-quality instructional resources," a staff presenter said, adding that the district used roughly $1,600,000 in ESSER funds to purchase vetted curricular materials intended to help new teachers and ensure fidelity of instruction. The presenter said those resources provide embedded materials, assessments and teacher supports that reduce the need for teachers to source disparate materials.
School leaders and staff detailed diagnostic and progress-monitoring practices. Teachers use three benchmark cycles per year and PLCs (professional learning communities) to analyze data and adjust instruction. At Jamestown, staff said six of eight teachers in grades 3'05 had less than three years' experience last year; the building leader said HQIRs and instructional coaching help less-experienced teachers deliver standards-aligned lessons.
Speakers also discussed supports for English learners and students experiencing housing instability. Staff cautioned that many EL students enter kindergarten "not ready to learn" by district measures and described use of early screening (Brigance) and the ACCESS English-language assessment as part of that identification process.
On school climate, presenters described a soft PBIS rollout with daily ticket incentives, small weekly rewards and a larger quarterly assembly. Staff said they would adjust the program to reduce teacher burden after early feedback.
The presentation closed with district-level context: speakers said the district outperformed state averages in several content areas (district reported figures cited reading +16 points, math +13, science +13, social studies +23, writing +38) and reported attendance and graduation rates described as high.
Next steps: staff will continue PLC-led interventions, monitor benchmark data, and refine PBIS implementation; the board did not take action at the meeting.
