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District plans advisory lessons, targeted interventions to boost 8th‑grade readiness
Summary
Middle-school presenters said they will expand the Center for High School Success framework to middle grades, build predictable advisory lessons, and use targeted interventions after reporting 6th-grade on-track at 96%, 7th at 83% and 8th at 94%.
Speaker 6 presented the middle-school plan to prepare 8th graders for a successful transition to high school, emphasizing advisory periods, grade-specific skill development and targeted interventions. "Our primary goal is 8th grade readiness," Speaker 6 said, explaining advisory is used to teach social-emotional learning, belonging and soft skills.
Speaker 6 provided midyear on-track metrics (defined as fewer than one F per semester): 6th grade 96% on-track, 7th grade 83% on-track and 8th grade 94% on-track. The presenter also reported improvements in attendance metrics, noting the share of students at 92%+ attendance increased from 52% to 56% in one analysis.
Planned next steps include predictable advisory lessons centered on grade-level skill goals (6th: organization and self-efficacy; 7th: accountability and self-regulation; 8th: high-school readiness), an intervention reboot with prioritized weeks per subject, and professional development focused on data-driven decision-making and a 'kids talk' protocol.
Board members asked questions about retention and promotion policy; the presenter and other administrators said retention is a building-level decision and that retention is generally not favored as best practice. Instead, the district aims to use stronger handoffs, summer school and targeted supports to prevent students from falling behind.
The report was informational; the board did not take a separate vote on the middle-school plan during the meeting.
