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Board hears 9th-grade 'kid talks' credited for major on-track gains at Bel Air and Scotlandville
Summary
The board received data showing district improvements in 9th-grade on-track rates tied to the Center for High School Success (CHSS) interventions; presenters said Bel Air rose roughly 15 percentage points and Scotlandville reached about 89% on-track. Board members pressed on sustainability amid staff turnover.
Deputy Superintendent Adam Smith opened the discussion by introducing Center for High School Success updates and highlighting district efforts to prepare for the school year. "Following these remarks, members of our leadership team and community partners will provide updates on several key initiatives," Smith said.
Miss Baptiste, representing CHSS, presented multi-year data showing district-level growth in 9th-grade on-track rates and singled out Bel Air and Scotlandville as success stories. "Bel Air was 1 of the schools that went from a 69% last year to 84% and we saw 15% growth," she said. She credited structured "kid talks," coaching, and data-driven interventions for the gains and explained the program’s approach to identifying and supporting students with attendance, behavior and course-performance concerns.
Board members asked about how the center’s role changes as schools adopt the model. Vice President Cliff Lewis urged the district to keep the work "holistic," saying, "Whatever you do, please don't lose that DNA of this program." CHSS staff responded that the goal is to build school capacity so the center can ‘‘work itself out of the job’’ while continuing targeted coaching where needed. Presenters also noted turnover and teacher vacancies as common drivers of dips at some schools and emphasized Tier 3 supports for higher-need students.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; members thanked CHSS staff and encouraged continued district rollout and monitoring. The district will include CHSS work and outcomes in ongoing reporting to the board.
