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Scottsbluff board highlights test-prep platform and MTSS gains under student-achievement priority
Summary
District leaders described adoption of the Horizon Education ACT-prep platform, reported cohort score gains and detailed MTSS and reading-intervention practices as part of Strategic Priority 5 to raise achievement and reduce chronic absenteeism.
Scottsbluff Public Schools administrators framed student achievement as a top strategic priority and outlined recent academic initiatives, including a new ACT-prep platform and expansions to the district’s multi-tiered supports.
"We have changed in the high school this past year to offering Horizon Education platform for ACT prep test," a high-school presenter said, describing fall-to-spring practice-test administration for sophomores and juniors and plans to replace MAP testing for grades 9–11 with practice ACT assessments. District staff said composite, English and math scores showed measurable fall-to-spring growth for many students.
Presenters said Horizon provides practice tests closely mirroring the ACT, instant detailed score reporting and coursework students can use anytime. "These assessments...help students build their familiarity and confidence with the test structure," one staff member said.
Administrators also outlined MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) at the middle school, describing weekly progress monitoring, nine-week roster adjustments and use of multiple data points to guide placement into support classes. A presenter said the district uses platforms such as EduClimber to track interventions and ensure continuity from elementary to middle school.
Board members emphasized early-literacy efforts under the state Reading Improvement Act. The district reported substantial reductions in the number of K–2 students needing intensive support over the year and said evidence-based reading instruction plus regular progress monitoring were central to those gains.
Why this matters: the board tied these programs to graduation and post‑secondary goals, noting the measures support targeted instruction and earlier identification of students who need more intensive interventions.
