001[clears throat] Uh, how about now? Thank you all for joining us. I did like to call to order the February 24th, 2026 Miss Actton School Board of Directors meeting to order. Perfect. And at this point, we will have the pledge. >> I pledge I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is Yan Vin and I'm a proud fourth grader at Arrowhead Elementary. Thank you so much for being here tonight. I know you all are very busy, so it really means a lot to me that you came. I also want to say a big thank you to Dr. Roberts and Dr. Derby and everyone who
002gave me the chance to be a junior board member and talk about my school. I'm here today to tell you why I love Arrowhead Elementary. Arrowhead is a fun and exciting place. We have awesome events like the color run, basketball Jones, and field day that everybody looks forward to every year. No matter where we are, library, art, gym, music, health, or our classrooms, there is always something fun going on. I especially love being a part of of the musical programs like orchestra, chorus, and band. We also have really cool after school activities like chess club, science explorers, math 24 club, and Harrowhead News. What really makes Arrowhead Elementary special is the people. Our teachers are kind, caring, and they always have, and they always find ways to make learning fun. They help us work hard
003and to be our best every single day. We are also lucky to have an amazing homeschool association. They help plan events, field trips, and fundraisers that support our school and community. I also want to say thank you to our safeties and bus drivers for keeping us safe every single day. At last, I want to thank my mom and dad for taking such good care of me and for sending me to such a great school. And thank you to my brother, who's a freshman at Makon High School, for inspiring me to work hard and reach my goals. Thank you again, Dr. Zy, Dr. Roberts for making me for making Arrowhead Elementary such a great place. And thank you you all for listening to me today. Arrowhead isn't just a school, it's a place to grow. >>
004[applause] [applause] >> BELLE AND YAVON, WILL YOU PLEASE join Madame President and I out front for a photo and the issuance of the junior board representative certificates. >> [applause] [applause] >> I Just want to say thank you Annabelle Orelle and Yvon for a great job. When I talked to them up here, I said we're all friends and family here and they also let us know they have their teachers in the audience and that's the best part of school for them. So, thank you to the teachers at Arrowhead for being here today and supporting our students. And we will continue with our meeting. First of all, I'd like to remind everyone that this is a public this is public hereby advice of audio and video recording of this meeting for the poor purposes of rebroadcasting. All
005members are here with the exception of Mr. Murski who is excused from this meeting today and no necess. >> Thank you, Madam President. This evening we have a number of guests and scheduled speakers, but I'd like to uh really introduce Dr. Roberts, principal of Arrowhead Elementary School, as our first guest speaker to help share the spirit of Mthactton uh as it's uh spread across our entire district, but particularly at Arrowhead Elementary School. Dr. Roberts. >> All right. All right. Thank you, Dr. Zerby. And uh just like to send a another proud principal moment to both Yvon and Belle. you did a really outstanding job. So, thank you. I'd like to thank the board of school directors for allowing me an opportunity to talk about these wonderful people from uh Arrowheads. So, first up, we'd like
006to recognize uh one of our teachers here, uh Miss Stephanie Sawyer. Miss Sawyer. [applause] Yeah. She serves Arrowhead as our EL teacher and our K to2 uh EL coordinator. Uh we are incredibly grateful for her dedication, her leadership. Steph brings people together through her kindness, professionalism, and deep commitment to students and staff. She values collab collaboration, honors our school traditions, and leaves with integrity in all that she does. Through her instructional leadership, supportive safety patrol, and consistently demonstrating a positive presence, Steph helps create a school climate where everyone feels welcome, supported, and valued. And I'd just like to say we're so fortunate to have Steph as part of our Arrowhead family. So, thank you, Miss Sawyer. [applause] All right, up next, we'd like to recognize another wonderful person, uh, Mrs. Danielle Pley. [applause] Mrs. Pley
007is a true team player who consistently inspires both students and colleagues to believe in themselves and strive for their absolute best. As our math specialist, Danielle goes above and beyond to support students through targeted interventions while also working closely with teachers to strengthen their instruction. Her leadership of the math 24 club and I believe last year we won. Okay, thank you. [gasps] Not to brag. Um her openness, her care, dedication to continuous growth make a meaningful difference uh for our students, staff, and everyone in Arrowhead. And we are eternally thankful for the positive impact she provides on our school community. So, thank you, Danielle. [applause] All right, this one's really tough to to recognize, and Barb isn't here. Uh, she's in Florida right now, but um we'd like to recognize Mrs. Barb Goff. Uh she
008is truly the heart and soul of Arrowhead Elementary. Each and every day, Barb greets our students, our families with warmth, professionalism, and genuine care. Barb's ability to multitask, problem solve, and support others with a calm confidence helps bring our school together and run smoothly. Her dedication and positive spirit contribute to a welcoming, supportive environment where everyone feels cared for and valued. And we are incredibly grateful for all that Barb does for our students, staff, and families. Let's recognize Mrs. Goff at this time. [applause] Hopefully, it's warm and sunny in Florida. All right. Up next, we'd like to recognize Mr. Steve Watinson. If Steve's here, Steve's not here tonight, but uh Mr. Steve, Mr. Watinson consistently puts students first as our recess aid. He exemplifies the spirit of Methactton through his dedication to safety, care, and
009well-being. Whether managing the weather conditions that have been quite difficult this winter or responding to the needs of students and staff, Steve is always dependable and ready to help. His commitment and reliability play an essential role in maintaining a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for our students, especially during recess. And we truly appreciate Steve dedicate Steve's dedication to our school community. So, thank you, Steve. [applause] All right, just a few more. Um, at this time we'd like to recognize uh our volunteers. So, first up, we'd like to recognize Mr. Anne Hoffman. [applause] Ann demonstrates outstanding generosity and teamwork through his continued service to Arrowhead Elementary. from supporting students through kid writing to serving on the home and school board and volunteering his time for school initiatives and is deeply committed to our students and families.
010His dedication to family engagement helps strengthen the partnership between um our school arrowhead and and home. He creates meaningful connections with our students that benefit our entire community and we are thankful for an time, energy, and support. So, thank you an [applause] All right. Up next, we'd like to recognize Mrs. Suzanne Eisenhower. We'd like to call her Sunny. Um, Sunny's here. Sunny shows her strong commitment to Arrowhead through her service, generosity, and collaborative spirit. Whether serving on the home and school board, volunteering in the cafet in the cafeteria, or helping to ensure the success of the holiday shop, uh Sunny is always willing to step in whenever she is needed. Her dedication and teamwork help foster a strong sense of community and support for our students, staff, and families, and we are grateful for all
011that Sunny does for Arrowhead. So, thank you, Sunny. [applause] All right, [cheering] now we get to recognize our wonderful students. So, first we'd like to recognize Miss Maya Desai. Is Maya here? I think I saw her walk in. Come on down. Here she comes. [applause] Maya consistently demonstrates respect for both her peers and teachers, setting a positive example in her classroom and throughout our school. She regularly goes above and beyond. She is always looking for ways to challenge herself both academically and personally. Maya takes great pride in her work and approach is each task with care, determination, and responsibility. With her bright personality and contagious smile, she helps create a welcoming, supportive environment where everyone feels valued and included. We're so proud of you, Maya. Thank you. [applause] She has her shirt on, too. I
012know. Good job. All right. And lastly, we'd like to recognize Mr. Tanner Williams. Come on down, Tanner. [applause] He has his shirt on, too. [laughter] All right. Tanner represents the core values of our school community. Tanner is a kind, empathetic, and hardworking fourth grade student who approaches both learning and challenges with determination and a positive outlook. He consistently shows respect to his peers and adults and demonstrates compassion, perseverance, which learn we are learning about this month, and a strong growth mindset in all that he does. Tanner is a positive role model who brings out the best in others and shows genuine gratitude for the opportunities he is given. Whether in the classroom or beyond, his dedication, teamwork, and commitment to the personal growth makes us incredibly proud of him. Congratulations, Tanner. [applause] Congratulations. >> [applause]
013[applause] >> Well, next on our agenda is an issuance of the M awards. Uh we did receive request from our students that were being uh honored uh to be asked if we could uh honor them in March so they could attend the high school boys basketball game this evening. So um uh what's the score? Does anybody know right now? But anyhow um we do have another outstanding presentation and we couldn't make this school district complete without the work and dedication of our foundation. We have Donna Pier Galini here this evening as as a director uh for the foundation to with a number of board members to present a very important uh number of checks. So, Miss Purgalini. >> Hi everyone. So, we have a bunch of board members here if they want to come up
014and stand. And I'm going to give uh Shannon Puffer, our president, the the go-ahad because you hear from me a lot. So, [laughter] good evening. Okay, so we have a few slides. Um, first we wanted to just kind of start by saying what we're about and why we're here tonight with a big check. Um, we're really here to inspire excellence and innovation across the entire Miffactton School District. Since 2009, we have funneled over 1 thou 1,800,000 back into our schools through 145 separate grants. This isn't just charity. It's an investment into the future of our students. Um so our vision is really to inspire excellence and in innovation in the Mthactton School District and we provide supplemental funding through innovative educational programming and initiatives to enrich student learning. Our board consists of many community members.
015You can see probably most of us here over the years. Um, we're a working board, so you see a lot of us out at events throughout the community. You'll see us at dodgeball, um, at our Apex Awards Center, at the 5K that we do back in the fall. Lots of different events. Um, we deliver for the backpack program. You'll see a lot of us all around the community and it's important that we're all involved. Um, so you see a lot of us here. um we ensure that we're trying to ensure that um long-term sustainability to ensure that the enrichment enrichment activities exist for years to come. So they're not just one-time activities. And we've seen significant variations in annual awards, but we've peaked at over $441,000 in 20 to the year 2020 to 2021. To
016date for the 2025 2026 period, we've already awarded over $134,100. We're maintaining high activity levels with 16 awards granted so far this year, matching our total from the previous full previous full year. So, we're off to a great start with lots of awards, lots of grant requests coming in from teachers. STEM is our highest priority, making up nearly half of our grant distribution. We also provide critical support for music, student wellness, and the arts. We have 16 EITC approved programs. Currently, the high school receives the highest number of grants, followed by our elementary schools and our Cola. And I'll turn it over to one of our amazing science teachers. Hi, I'm Yvon Egllandon. I am a teacher at Sky View. I'm also an MEF board member, a proud parent of MAFT alum, and a MAFTA
017alum myself. So, it's an honor to be able to give back to this community that has given so much to me. Uh, what I'd like to do is highlight some of the specific successes that we've had here with the MEF. Uh, for example, in Sky View, we've had the STEM fab lab that has been recently uh built and implemented into our school building and the high school has a very successful hydroponic farm. Another activity that a lot of you also have been involved with and we appreciate is the backpack program providing essential food supplies to students in need and supporting our care for the whole student. There are also new initiatives which I've been a benefit of as the teacher uh regarding the community cares program uh which comes into the sixth and seventh grade
018Sky View Arcola students and it's run by volunteers and high school mentors which has been such a fabulous opportunity. Uh there's also civic engagement initiatives and the interactive whiteboard tables were just delivered today. So I saw them hot off the press as they say and the uh teacher who received them is super excited about them and already put them to great work. Thank you. Um also in addition to the above mentioned items we have funded this year I also wanted to mention the watershed program. Um that's been a huge huge huge success that I'm very grateful to the MEF for. Um I wrote a grant for the entire sixth grade and it just ties in beautifully with our steels environmental standards that we have for environmental literacy. And that's been a really successful program uh
019slashfield trip we have for the sixth graders. And so my heart I poured a lot of work into that and just to see it pay off and the joy in the children's faces and all that they've been learning and bringing back into the classroom has been wonderful and again I'm very grateful to the MEF for making that happen. All right and I'm going to now pass it over to Donna. So um just so you guys all know how the process works is uh we have on our website each teacher can write a grant. We have an awesome program support smaller committee that really reads through the grant and we work with the administration for the get them approved. So this past year we have already approved 16 grants and last year we did 16. So
020it's a total of $323,000. We are working on it with the STEM Fab Lab to have a plaque for every grant we've given so parents and teachers can know and help promote that. So that's one thing we're going to hopefully start giving to the teachers. But for now, we just wanted to do a big check presentation uh for the school for the past year and the year year to date. So, we have a big check for $323,000 that we wanted to present to the school district. So, if we can bring it over three >> [clears throat] [applause] >> and Just the last thing, the way we raised this money is through donations and our events. And one of our biggest events is dodgeball. It's March 15th. We already have 425 kids signed up and adults
021and adults. [laughter] Um so if you did not sign up or we could definitely use some more volunteers. Um it's a really great day for methan. So we appreciate it and we hope you all can be there. And thank you to our amazing board who came tonight. [applause] Yeah, thank you very much to the foundation. Um, I know a lot of programs that we have um that we see in our schools, in our libraries, um, especially programs in STEM, we as a district are fortunate to have the foundation really help drive some of those programs. So, I really appreciate it and I appreciate the board also for attending tonight and just putting in the time to help drive this district forward. So, really appreciate your time. Um, at this point, I we will probably just
022take a minute just to inform families that came for the um tonight for um in reference to um the spirit of methactin award. Um, just thank you all for making the time to come here with your students and the teachers in the audience. And you're welcome to leave, but you're also welcome to stay here to enjoy our meeting. But thank you all and thank you, Arrowhead. [applause] Thank you so much. >> [sighs] >> So, next on the agenda under guest and scheduled speakers, we have the Mthactton High School renovation, the Shrader Group, and ICS. We did not plan to have any uh additional presentation. we put them on there just in case there were any questions uh for members of the board uh with respects to uh the action that's being uh uh uh on
023the agenda under 13E1 under the authorization of the administration to proceed forward into the design development phase for the Mthactton High School renovation project with a cost for design development not to exceed 1,454,236 with the Shrader Group architects and 198,900 for ICS, the owner's representative. Are there any questions at this point in time uh for uh our two presenters that are here this evening? To my right, seeing none. To my left, seeing none. >> Okay. Thank you. And then last uh on the uh on the agenda here this evening, it's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Regina uh assistant superintendent. He oversees the uh instructional program uh here at uh Mthactton School District and this evening he's going to be presenting the 2024 2025 student performance report. There should be a copy of this uh presentation
024at your uh place and uh let's welcome Dr. Regina for the presentation. >> Thank you. Thank you Dr. Zerby. [laughter] Appreciate the welcome. Uh good evening everyone. Uh tonight we're going to be going over our annual achievement report and we typically do this in the month of February. We give it to the education committee earlier in the month and then we present it to the full board typically at the end of February. And so what we're going to be looking at here is the story of achievement that we've been seeing in Methactton. And and you'll notice that this trend has has certainly been continuing but there's some key focal points that you're going to take away from the presentation this evening. And so the foundational excellence that we are seeing really across the board. Um
025we notice this in PSSAs and our ELA and math. We will not be talking about science this year because last year science assessments did not count because of the new steel standards. And so that data point will not be there. But as you know we have seen great success in our science programs throughout. Um, you're going to notice our high school mastery is increasing, not just our Keystone performance when it comes to our bank scores, also even last year's scores. And so, we'll talk a little bit about that. And then our continued success that we're seeing in our AP program is just naturally uh just getting better. And so, we will hit that towards the end. Um, couple things that we want to talk about with state mandates this spring of 2026 is the online
026test uh directive from the state. Now, we've been doing it the last 5 years, but all school districts must do that this spring. And the steel standards, this will be the first year for those steel standards being tested. And the one big change from a testing perspective of grade levels is it went from fourth grade to fifth grade. And so, we'll see that uh this year as well. So, uh to start off, we're going to get into PSSAs and Keystone assessments. And we are going to start um kind of explaining what the PSSAs are. And so they are the Pennsylvania system of school assessments. They are given in grades three through eight. Those assessments three through eight are ELA and math at every single grade level. Science is only given in fifth grade and eighth
027grade starting this year. When we talk about uh percentages, we're talking about proficiency percentages. So if I say we're 70% proficient, there are basically four scores on the uh keystones and the PSSAs and proficient and advanced are the scores that we're talking about. Basic and below basic would not be a proficient score. So moving into the first data set, um we're really just looking at the bar graph here as compared to the state. So this is at each grade level with ELA being on the lefthand side, mathematics being on the right hand side, and our proficiency rates surpass the state average in every subject at every grade level with some of our gaps as high as 25 percentage points. Now, this speaks to last year's growth or last year's scores. We're going to talk a
028little bit about what we've seen the last three years in our grade levels in our next line graphs and then we're going to talk about some cohort growth after that. So the first one is we're going to be looking at our three-year averages over the last three years. So ELA, we do notice a slight dip in our in our ELA scores in third grade. Now, this again is not cohort data. This is third grade. These are separate cohorts, but we do look at this over a grad span. And so we do see a third grade dip in ELA and a small dip in mathematics in third grade. for fourth grade, we're seeing a slight increase in ELA and a slight increase in math. Now, if you notice, if you if you think about the way
029this presentation's been given in the past, it we often model what the state average is doing. It almost looks like the two work in unison. Um, but you'll notice some of our graphs are a little off. So, our ELA scores at the state level are actually dropping at the fourth grade level while ours are increasing. Um, but we do notice the same type of increase in math. Um, just we're just a number of percentage points above the norm. Moving into fifth grade, um, this is typically where we have seen, uh, our math scores were starting to dip over the last few years. We've seen a large jump in our math scores in fifth grade, which is a great data point for us. Um, ELA has flatlined, but again, I'm going to draw your attention to
030the state data. Um there is we have seen a drop across the state and across the region in some of our ELA scores. Um and our school did not do that. And so um naturally that's something that we're looking at. Again, it's not cohort [clears throat] data, but it is something that we're paying close attention to. Our sixth grade stores, um this is great. You'll notice there's a slight decline in the state level, but we are continually increasing our ELA in sixth grade and continuously increasing in our math data in sixth grade as well. Moving to seventh grade, we are noticing a slight dip in seventh grade in in our ELA scores and essentially flatlining in math also uh at the seventh grade level. And finally, when we look at eighth grade, we do see
031a slight dip in our ELA scores in eighth grade and a slight increase in our math scores in eighth grade. Now, I kept referring to the fact that this is not cohort data. What we do with cohort data is we look at something called PE. And PEOS is the Pennsylvania value added assessment system. And this is a growth algorithm that exists at the state level. and it measures the expected growth that the state would expect you to see in the students that you have in that particular cohort. And they measure that versus the actual growth. And so essentially it can be as strong as well above which is the best you can get or um decreasing or well below. And we are um [clears throat] blue. Blue is obviously the best color. We are dark
032blue in a number of areas with meats in sixth and seventh grade ELA. These are fantastic scores when it comes to cohort growth. Um there have been years where we have seen even red in some of these areas. We might have scored well, but the cohort growth isn't as strong as it has been from year to year. And so we're seeing tremendous growth out of our cohorts um in every subject area uh from fourth to 8th grade. So this is fantastic. Uh moving to eighth grade um Let me do that. There we go. Keystone information. Sorry about that. Um, keystones are test given at the 9th through 12th grade level typically. Um, but they are end of course exams and there's three of them that are given. One is given for 10th grade ELA, one
033is given at the end of algebra, and one is given at the end of biology. and that's typically the ELA math and science portions of those exams. Um, again, we're going to do the same thing we just did with the PSSAs, but with Keystones, it's a little different. Since the PSSAs are given that particular grade level at a particular time, we can measure that data point right away. Keystones, they do the same thing, but students can retake the exam until they pass it or they may may not pass it ultimately, but they call that bank scoring. And so, we're going to do look at both of those data sets. We're going to look at how well our students did last year specifically. And then we're going to look at the bank scores, which are basically
034done at the end of the students 11th grade year. They determine of all of our students what was our percent uh that have passed the exam. And so first thing I do want to go is just the background of Keystones. We talked a little bit about the grade levels they're taken at. Literature is almost every student if not all students taken in 10th grade. Again, it is a 10th grade literature [clears throat] exam. So that's primarily when it's given. Uh 11th grade ultimately what we see are retakes or maybe new students that have come in that may not have taken in their previous school district. biology. We do have some students that take it in ninth, but most of our students take it in 10th grade as well. And then we do have some taken
035in 11th again with retakes and new students. Algebra is the one that spans over a lot of years. Um, we do have some students that take it in seventh grade. A lot of our students take it in eighth. Most of them take it in ninth. We do have some that take it in 10th and 11th. And so this is the one that we talk a lot about the bank scores being so important because ultimately we have a lot of our students taking in eighth grade. So when we get to our high school exam scores, most of our students may have taken it already. And so we're but we're going to talk a little bit about that when we get into the data. So the first slide I want to draw your attention to is just
036last year's scores. So this is just how we did last year. And so our literature exams are up from the 70.5, excuse me, down from 70.5 to 68%. Our biology is up from 70.8 to 75.2. Our algebra 1 at the high school, um, this has really been a tremendous success story. Uh, really this a lot of these percentages are are actually abnormal. Um we a lot of schools do not see this type of percentage at the high school. Ultimately what's happening at the high school is especially with algebra. If a lot of your students are taking it in eighth grade, most of your students that are very strong in mathematics may take it early. And so you'll see high percentages in eighth grade, but in ninth grade some of the students that may struggle in
037mathematics take it. Although some still do very well. And so percentages can tend to be a little bit lower at that at that algebra um math and high school level or any high school level. And so 35 is tremendous. Um at our cola though we are back to the 88% category which is where we were pre- pandemic which is great. That's a great data point. The next slide is the banked scoring. So this is what we measure at the end of their 11th grade year. This is all the scores combined. And so when we look at our literature, we are at 72.5 in terms of the bank score from last year and this is increasing from last year. Biology we are at 71.5 again increasing from last year. And then algebra we are at 59.4.
038Now, I do have an asterisk here because it's important to note that this is if you've been following us the last couple years, we have we there was a group that take the exam during the pandemic that didn't count. And so, our last group, our seventh grade group that took it, their scores do not count for our bank scores. And so, what what we would say us students that typically do pretty well, if they're taking it in seventh grade, their scores did not count. And so it is something that we would expect to see go up, but it is the last time we're going to see the pandemic effect in these scores. So that's a good thing. Uh our growth metrics across all three grade levels for our cohort growth is well above in every
039category. Um again, just this is obviously a fantastic growth data point for us. um and attributes to our building level scores as well as we get into our advanced placement test. So um certainly one of our uh more positive data points over the last many years that we've had AP um we do give 727 exams. 96% of those are a three or higher. And so, uh, when it comes to AP scoring, a three is typically a score that you can get college credit for, it's a great score. A four is, um, quite frankly, it's fantastic. And a five is the best score that you can get. And so, as we start to talk about scores of three or higher, what we're saying is those are the percentage of students that could utilize this credit of
040institutions that accept it as a college credit. And so, uh, three or higher is typically the score that the national AP board uses as a metric of success, very similar to the way we talked about proficiency when it came to PSSAs and Keystones. And then 73% of our scores are fours and fives, which um really is just again another great data point, but really a tremendous one and and not one that that many schools can can boast at that level of percentage. We have 85 students that are AP scholar with distinction which is an average score of 4.34 35 with an a uh AP scholar with honors and 48 with the AP scholar uh which is 168 students combined which is great. Going to the next slide and we look at the bar graph uh
041this has kind of been the trend of our success over the last three years. In 2023 we have 89.3% with a three or higher. Last year we had 93.37%. Excuse me, 2024 we had 93.37% and last year we had 95.61%. As we've talked about before, the the one thing that we want to see more of is more participation and it is something that we're continually working on. It's going to be some probably some creative ideas that we speak to you about in the future about ways to do that. Um, but we are encouraged to try to increase our participation numbers um to get those a little bit higher. There we go. Okay. Um, when we talk about three of the things that I've brought this up every year, I I just I love these three
042topics here. Uh, one is the how many students are the three three or higher. And when we look at 90% of the kids in a class scoring three or higher, we have 16 of our courses that 90% of the kids in that class are getting a three or higher, which again, if that's the benchmark of proficiency and success, that's a 93 or a 90% proficiency rate. What's even better, obviously, is seven of those courses, every single student that takes the exam gets a three or higher. seven of our courses, not a single child that takes the AP exam gets anything below a three. That is tremendous. And then we have 10 courses where the average score is above four. And so I again, it's something that I love boasting about every year because I think
043between our students and our staff, they do an exceptional job with this. But this is just something that I've been in a number of high schools. I don't see stuff like this where I've been. And this is just absolutely fantastic. I love sharing it. This graphic is not an eye an eye exam. This is just uh a graphic that I want you to take a look at. The green bar is Mthactton. The gray bar is the state and the black bar is the national. And this is every one of the exams that we give. And it just gives you a feeling of uh really how well we're doing. Um, something that I love sharing, you know, there's a lot of conversation that comes up when it comes to PSSAs and keystones. Um, a lot of
044conversation about demographics that come up about soioeconomics um, in terms of scores and and what that looks like in each in each uh, each region. When it comes to the AP exam, this is the best of best of your students, no matter what school you're in taking this exam. And this is how our students compete. And this is something to be very, very proud of. And so, um, something that I always like to make sure we capture when we talk about AP exams, this is the percent of students with a three or higher. The next one is our average score in each one of these exams. Um, again, this is absolutely amazing and something that I certainly like to leave the board with in terms of the last data point that we talk about moving
045into our commitment for the rest of this year. So, we're going to continue on our planning and assessment track. You're going to see that we're going to move uh even [clears throat] further into that next year. We're can continue the implementation, the successful implementation that we have on a number of new programs including steels character strong for our social emotional learning and our positive behavior intervention supports for our PBIS programming. We're going to continue our initiative and the strength that we really feel instructional coaching brings both to our staff and our students and continuing to focus on addressing our literacy gap. You [clears throat] know, I'd love to to boast about the good data, but we also recognize there's data points that we need to improve on and there's things that we're heavily focused in
046and one of those things is structured literacy and the work that we're doing with lab schools and keys to literacy that we want to make sure that we're continuing into the future. So, if we look at next year, what are the things that we're going to heighten and and get even even better at? Um, one of them, again, we're going to keep talking about deepening that literacy focus. So, we're going to be entering on the year two of our lab school implementation. We're going to continue that work at Eagleville and Arcola and still disseminating uh the stuff that we're learning into our other schools. We're going to be enhancing our assessment quality. So, that's both going to be formative and summitative assessments. So formative assessments really driving the instruction that we do each day. Looking
047at some common summitive assessments that we can do across subject areas and grade levels. And then last strengthening our student support in the MTSS process. Um again we know that that's a major goal of ours. It's something that we're creating that consistent process to be able to deliver to the board in May and something we'll be in full implementation of uh coming into uh next year. And that ends my presentation for this evening. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Regina. Are there any questions from members of my board to my left, Miss Theo? >> Thank you so much for this, Dr. Regina. >> You're welcome. >> I do have one question and I do have just one thing to then share afterwards. Um, I had this thought as I was looking at the data. uh
048because I remember over previous years from PSSAs and testing there may have been when educators look at assessments if there's an outlier we take that into consideration. Was there any kind of like you know how sometime I think it was a a written question maybe two years ago that like pulled things down. I'm thinking 78 scores. Was there any irregularity that was known for this one or just no? >> That's a great question. Okay. So we do get that report from the state. Um, nothing that was any greater than the norm that I know of right now. >> Not like that one. >> Correct. Not as bad as it was. I think that was there was a TDA issue years ago that that showed like everybody took a major drop. Yes. >> Um, we didn't
049get a report. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen yet, but we didn't get any information about that yet. Great question. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. And and I just wanted to just share just as I was looking at this data and just looking at how I mean most of these lines are are trending up. um or in previous years that they had dipped their trending, they even stayed steady and um I was just reflecting on a lot of the things that we do and and that we have supported at the board level and hope to continue supporting. Um so if you'll just humor me for 30 seconds. um [cough] a [clears throat] well-rated curriculum, excellent structures and um materials are all extremely important. However, the most important impact that research shows
050on a child's achievement is teacher knowledge and practice. So when I look at these scores, I think of the countless hours that our teachers have spent in all grade levels K to 12 to support the students to look at the data to respond to their needs and to look at the students in front of them because students don't read the books at what they should be able to do and what they should what they should follow. the teachers have to even if you've taught the same subject five times the students in front of you ask you to pivot in one way or another and when I look at these scores we have a district of teachers who have taken the curriculum available to them and the standards and what they've been asked to do and
051I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank them because I see hours of work and commitment to our students and So I also did want to recognize that there are grade levels of teachers this year who have been asked to do very heavy lifts with brand new curricula um or in even in the last couple years um the steel standards is a was a huge lift um literacy PBIS I I think math was in the last three years I'm not sure yes it was and it's that none of those are easy in and of themselves all of them together. I just wanted to take this opportunity and thank our community of teachers. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Katie. >> Well said, Miss Steel. Thank you for that. Any other [clears throat] comments? Uh,
052Miss Purdue, >> I do have one. Thank you. Um, so maybe I'll follow up to what Miss D said, and I know you provided us some um, resources to look at in reference to how some other states are were able to shift their scores. Um, I thought some of that was helpful and but seeing some of the things that we're doing here in Methactton, um, I guess it gave me comfort knowing that we're on the right path to seeing some of that shift. I mean, one of them was, but it was funded at the state level in reference to some highlevel um tutoring services that was provided just because I think like at the state level, I don't know if it was Alabama or Louisiana. I know you provided too, but I don't know if
053the literacy scores were very low in general at the state level that funding was provided to do some of of that work to get coaching and um extra tutoring um services at the state level. I know it's something that we don't have here, but I think reviewing it and knowing some of the things that we're doing um as far as some of the work that we put together and working with schools cube for the literacy aspects, I think it's is good, but I also noticed they mentioned um the instructional coaches. Um but I think one of the things that I walked away with is how we utilize those instructional coaches, right? is critical is one of the things that were mentioned. So I don't know if you had a chance to review it review it
054and if you had any feedback on what we're doing with our coaches and if there's any opportunities to improve and then maybe I'll stop there and let you answer then I have a follow-up question. >> Sure. Sure. So also great article um and and a lot of the data. So one of the things that I definitely want to look at is their data points specifically like where what is that data in reference to and in terms of their improvement scores. Was it state assessments? Was it dibble scores? I I wasn't quite sure. I just have to look into that. But regardless those score those states have always been some of the lowest performing states and to see that level of success means they're doing something very well. And so regardless of what they're using as
055a data point, I want to know what they're doing. Um because I think that's just great. our coaches. So, I don't want to spoil this too much because ed committee is they're going and if anybody would like to join ED committee, you're more than welcome to, but our coaches are presenting next week at ed committee. And so, they're going to be presenting on exactly that, what they're doing, how often they've been working on, how they're and we even have blurs from teachers on on how strong this relationship has been with coaches and what it means to them as teachers to have that type of support. Um, the way I can say it is this, right? We have uh about four inservice days, I think, if I'm if I'm correct off the top of my head,
056where we have to create general professional development for large groups of teachers and try to get them everything they want in those or need in those four days. And the curriculum team and the and the people service team do a great job doing that along with our administrators in the building and our teachers. But the reality is you're generalizing a lot of PD to try to get to the most people. Our coaches provide individualized PD on a daily basis for staff that are encouraged to use it. That is critical. So if I need support in instructional planning and I might not have one of those 4D PD days anything about planning, I can get to a coach and they can assist me with that on a daily basis. that that's the type of stuff that
057the coaches are able to provide along with many many other things but that individualized PD I think is one of been the most one of the most critical things that our coaches have been able to support with and they all do an amazing job with it so but I don't want to say too much because I know they're very excited about their presentation next week um and so uh I certainly encourage anyone to join if you'd like to see it >> perfect I look forward to I'll definitely plan to attend ED committee just to hear the update um another thing that was mentioned mentioned um in reference to initiatives, right? I I know we mentioned the steals, curriculum changes and everything else, but I know it was a reference to limiting initiatives um or keeping
058I I don't know if it's goals or initiatives at the classroom level or for the teachers a minimal, right? So are we looking into any of that just because I think some of the things that happen um with changes that are out of our control but within our district are we looking to ensuring that we're limiting some of these things that may be a little bit of a distraction for teachers that may want you know just to ensure right I think when I look at our test scores there are parts of it that I I can ask like when I look at the I think third grade we start to see a little bit of a dip when we say in ELA and then also in math. So you kind of look at that, but
059are we looking at the number of initiatives that we are and trying to limit those? >> Yeah, we it's a great question and and we have really for years I mean I'll be the first to admit I get real excited about something that's new. Can we try it? Let's let and I and you sometimes forget like okay this is now the fifth thing that you've asked your teachers to do. Back off, buddy. Right. And so u but yeah, we certainly do that. the the idea of you heard me talk about the assessment stuff that we're working on this year and then I'd say we're going to work on it again next year and the reality is the thought process of what I wanted to do with assessments this year was getting heavy into the formative
060assessments which essentially is testing at periodic times throughout the lesson or even after the lesson to determine have my students learned what I taught them today and if not then it helps me inform my instruction for the next day or future days. It's not the summit of assessment which essentially is given after the fact. And so I had a thought that boy, we're going to push formative assessments really hard this year, but the reality was with everything that we were putting out there for people to be working with, it just got to be too much. And so we back that off to start to do that again next year. So you notice I actually pushed that into the next year cycle because it seemed like it was a little bit too aggressive and there was
061too many things out there. So we have done that in the past and we actually did it this year. But we do we continually think about that quite often. Um and we get great feedback from staff that our staff's certainly not afraid to say, you know, Chay, okay, like let's let's pause on something and and can we look at something in the next year if it's not critical that we have to do it right now. And we've certainly encouraged them to do so and listen uh when that comes to us. >> No, thank you very much. And I do have just one um more just in reference to um I don't know what slide it is but the one that you showed on the academic growth um in in the PSSA with the well above
062and then meets um grade six and grade seven with the meets um for um ELA. Is there anything there? I know Miss already asked about if there was any um outliers or anything. Do we have >> No, it's so so what'll happen is the the growth expectction expectation is a year's worth of growth. And so if a student's going into sixth grade and they were in fifth grade last year, the expectation is they grow a full year of what they're supposed to be learning that year. When you see meats, that means that they actually grew a full years of growth if they they met the expectation. when you see things beyond that, what what it's saying is they exceeded the one year of growth benchmark with their data. So, it's it's actually normal to see
063meats. It's not very normal to see well above. We just see so many well above the meats actually looks out of place and it's actually the norm. And so, um no, even with meats, I I don't worry about that at all. I do worry naturally though when we see the reds and the yellows, and we have had those in the past. um if we see a red or a yellow. So yellow is below or or meeting below uh not meeting, excuse me, and then red is is the the worst you can have there. Um when we start to see those in our cohort, we do heavy investigation on what's happening. Again, that's it's an algorithm. We recognize that, but the reality is is that when we start to see that the algorithm is producing not
064a full year's worth of growth, we want to know why. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. Any other questions to my left, Miss Clary? >> Um, so I wanted to ask a couple of questions about the grade seven and grade 8 results for ELA. I just want to kind of make sure I ask some questions about this and just understand um what we're doing. So, so the you know for both seventh and eighth grade for ELA the trend is dipping, right? And you just said um in response to Miss Purdue's question um you know grade seven being a meets and that those kids have have gone a full year of of growth but the trend is still going is going down. So what are we why what are we doing differently? How are we going
065to address that? I guess I'm worried like we I know we have schools cubed going to me is if I understand that correctly is the younger generation. So I'm really focused here on what are we doing for our older learners who are going to be in the high school. Um, and even I'm sorry I keep going on my question is like this big run on but so I apologize but even when I look at the keystone data for grade maybe it wasn't even a grade. The annual Keystone trend proficiency in literature it's going down too. So I I'm just overall concerned if you could just address that. >> No totally. So first I'll go back to the seventh and the seventh grade and eighth grade uh comment. So the the only thing um the two
066data points are a little different. So the trend that you see down is not a cohort trend in the line graph. It is one year to the next. So it's last year's seventh grade compared to this year's seventh grade. And so if you follow the last year's seventh grade to this year's eighth grade would be what the PEOS data is showing you. And so it's not as simple as looking at the scores, but if I go to sixth grade last year, as an example, um it looks like in 2024, we're about at 51%. And in seventh grade, um [clears throat] this year, it looks like we're at 61%. So it's not that simple, but if you if you're almost looking at one data point from the year before compared to the the next year's data
067point in the in the next year. So those those two data sets are different data sets if that makes sense. >> No, I think it does, but but it's still going it's even if it's not a cohort I'm looking at and it's a brand new population of seventh grader, it's still going down, right? >> Um I'm looking at sixth grade. Sorry. Yeah, [laughter] it's still going down. That I recognize that. But if you're compared to the PE, you're asking about the PEOS, why does it say well above? because one's measuring a cohort and one's measuring two different cohorts and so that's that's why those two data points aren't aren't the same. >> Okay. But so can you talk to me a little bit about how we're going to address we are addressing it what what
068we might be doing differently. I I just want to better understand. >> Yeah, no problem. Um sorry I just had a I went on the data point. >> Well and my question was very run on so >> it's okay. Um so yeah there's a couple things I think. one is um we did make some curriculum changes with our seventh and eighth grade and so uh we did that just this year and so that isn't this test and it's I'm not going to pretend that the first year you make a curriculum change is when you're going to see the success. Um but we do naturally expect that that's going to be very helpful because it does give us a curriculum in seventh and eighth grade that that we have needed for years we believe. Um we're
069also going to be looking at um and Dr. Eworth is going to be speaking with ed committee as well. So, boy oh boy, if you miss ed committee, boy, you're really missing something next week. Um, he is going to be speaking to them about some of the recommendations uh that he was going to be requesting that we make in ELA. And right now in our seventh and eighth grade, we have an English course and we have a reading course. And what we're looking to do is create an integrated ELA course and a reading intervention period that aligns to our MTSS model which we think is going to really encourage and increase our it isn't about proficiency level. I mean it is ultimately but what it is it's the skill sets in reading that we're worried
070about. And so I want every child to be able to read at grade level or and beyond when they're at that it the proficiencies will then take care of themselves. it it's more important that they can do that. And so we're encouraged that the reading intervention period is going to do just that. It's going to give exa exactly what a child needs. During that period, they won't be going to a reading class that's just a general reading class. They're going to be going to a tiered reading intervention based on where their skill sets are and getting exactly what they need to get stronger in that. And we believe that's going to transfer to great success in our ELA coursework in seventh and eighth grade. And that will be happening at the something similar will be
071happening at at the high school as well to catch these kids who I'm seeing that are representative in this graph who will then be in high school. >> Yes. And so um there's a lot of MTSS work at our high school going on right now as well. We're talking about how do we do our intervention both for ELA and math at the high school and Dr. Uker is looking at that in our schedule for next year as well. So, there's a lot of things that we're working on that we're certainly hoping we'll be able to uh come to fruition next year and that we'll be sharing starting to share with the board of ed committee uh next week. >> Well, I'll be there. I can't wait. >> Great. >> Um >> I'm building this up
072a lot, so I certainly hope >> that'll be a great meeting at committee meeting. >> Um the the data on the AP stuff is fabulous. I just had a couple of questions. Um there is one slide that just talks about the upward trend of the um it's got data on the number of AP students and the number of exams. So um in 2025 we had um total AP students of and you mentioned the number of of exams being 727 but I'm actually wondering if and you may not know off the top of your head >> how many of those 342 students actually took an AP exam. >> So so those are the students that actually take the exam but they take multiple exams but you're getting to a great point. we have many more students
073who don't take the exam. >> I mean, I'll just call myself out. I had a son who took AP classes and never took an exam. So, I was when I saw that number, I was wondering um how So, this >> Let me let me see if I can find out. It's a great question. >> I'll take the exam. What? I'll take >> Yes. Yeah. Because with the the national board doesn't capture the kids that just take the course. They only capture the number of kids that register for the exam. Um but yes, there's definitely a larger number. >> Do we know how many? That's I'm going to find that out for you. >> I would like to know that. That's amazing. Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions? Mendo. >> And apart from finding out
074the total number of students that uh take AP classes, it'd be great if we uh had any data to show why specifically students are choosing not to take the exam just to make sure that there are no like, you know, socioeconomic barriers to taking the exam. I understand that these can be quite expensive or um but just kind of digging down on maybe some of those potential reasons for why students aren't going ahead and taking the exam I think would be helpful too. >> I will we'll absolutely find that too. Your bet. Thank you. >> Any other comments to my left? >> Uh we'll go to Miss Austin and then back to Miss Theo. [laughter] >> All right. Thank you. Um I just had a question about the Keystones. Um and are are the Keystone
075these exams they're required for graduation? >> Yes. >> So then what happens if a student does not meet the profession or advance? >> There's alternate pathways that they can take in order to to still graduate. They don't necessarily have to obtain proficiency. >> Okay. So then there is something else put put forward and that they complete and then Yes. Okay. So alternative. Okay. And then I had another [clears throat] question sort of related to the AP, sort of related to something later on the agenda, but since you're here, I'll ask it now. Sounds good. Um, and that is about the early retirement incentive program that we're talking about. And is there a concern given our stellar AP performance? Is there a concern that we might um that some teachers who are qualified, who enjoy teaching
076and are certified to teach the AP courses that they might retire and there might be difficulty to replace them in the [clears throat] AP certification? >> Yeah, I mean certainly I I it's interesting as I look at the teachers that could fall into that category or really are ready to retire now regardless. Yeah, you you get a little nervous because there are some amazing amazing people on that list that you wonder how you're going to operate tomorrow when they're not here. Um AP and not AP, right? That's it's across the board. So, um yes, to answer your question, it is something we think about across the board. Um but I I think about that there's a first grade teacher on that list. I think, oh my goodness, what are we going to do when that
077person's not here? So, it's it is almost at every grade level. Yes, to answer your question, we'd worry about that too at the AP level. >> And and I guess as a followup, what what how does a teacher become certified for to teach the AP an AP course? >> Yeah, there are there are AP trainings that they take in order to do that. Um and and certainly I am the competency of our teachers is extremely strong. It isn't that I'm worried that they're not going to figure out how to do that. They will. They're they're going to they're great teachers. They have great students in front of them. It's the years of experience on what's on the exam, what types of things to teach in the curriculum. Some of them have been teaching this for
07815, 20 years. And so that's really what you worry about is this depth of knowledge on how to prepare a student for an AP. And and so naturally, if people start to retire, a lot of our focus is going to be if it's an AP teacher or really any teacher. AP is a little different though, and I'll explain why in a second. How do we transfer that knowledge to the people coming into next? And so at the high school level, most of the time when we turn over an AP test, it's to a teacher that's here already. It isn't necessarily to a new teacher we're looking to hire. So it does give us the ability to transfer that knowledge um as best we can in a couple months. Um but still that doesn't replace the
079person that's about to leave and and that does certainly worries us every year when we lose good people. And is is the AP training so if we would need to certify another teacher to teach the AP is that something that the district supports do we pay for that training? >> Yes, that's something they can do a summer training for that. Um we they also do them during the school year. Um [clears throat] but yes, we do support that because they that becomes a requirement of them teaching AP that we have to support. >> Okay. And then you know depending I mean of course we don't know how this is going to look with this but just um but you know maybe there's a way we can build in a support for the retiring teacher to
080come back and coach or you know or something that we can put something in place just to ensure that >> you know keeping of knowledge um with in terms of the exam particularly. Thank you for that recommendation, >> Miss Steel. >> Yeah, thank you so much. I will be quick, I promise. I just wanted to share some um a little bit of background information. Um just for transparency sake, um Miss Purdue had referenced an article that I had shared with her. Um, it is a New York Times article that was published on February 9th and it was an opinion article that just referenced that some of the top performing states in the country were once the lowest um, which were I just double checked Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. They are now the top some not
081not the top but some of the top in the top 10. I think one is Nope. Louisiana might be number one. Um, and I just wanted to share that that is the article if anyone's interested. Um, it is a New York Times article. And the reason why I had shared it with Miss Purdue was because um, Mississippi for instance has been working on its literacy and trying to bring up its literacy go um, scores as a state since 2000. So that's 20 years um, 26 years. Sorry, I can do math. Um but on top of that, Pennsylvania is newer in its shift as a state and as a um as a state educational focus in shifting to the science of reading and structured literacy. Other states have been doing it for 5 10 15 years.
082When I was a literacy coach at one of my previous schools, I was following the state of Louisiana for what their recommendations were in order to bring recommendations as a literacy coach to my administration at that school. That was over 5 years ago, closer to 10 now, even though I look young. Um, so that being said, I wanted to share that background information for anyone who was listening and not really following that. That's why um it's also why as we discuss prioritizing as we go forward um schools cubed is a wonderful resource um I didn't know who who they were when they started working with the district. I didn't put them together. I had been following other school districts that were seeing success because they were consulting with schools cubed and I did not know
083that and that was years ago that I was following them because schools cubed has worked nationally not just in Pennsylvania. So I just wanted to connect those dots. I will stop talking now. I promise. >> Any other comments or questions uh for Dr. Regina to my left or right? Mr. Wyinners. Yeah, thank you. Miss Steel is going to be very proud of me with some of my comments. I think I'm [laughter] starting starting starting to get through to me here, but I I I just want to highlight that um to see the forest through the trees. I I mean, I saw this at the education meeting and didn't really see how good the results were. I think I saw how good the results were here today. So I think there needs a big big thank
084you to the students, the aids, the teachers and the admin, everybody involved because there is significant change and statistically uh relevant and it seems this past year. Um I I also saw in the news that the you mentioned that that we've been doing the online uh for 5 years and now it starts I'm starting to hear the pendulum talking about what a bad thing it is for students to be doing this stuff online. So um it's interesting to see in five years from now if we're back on paper or not. But um I also want to just you you know the it was mentioned before earlier about the [gasps] uh all the changes but the it seems like the I Ready is having a significant impact on math because it seemed to be across the
085board and also I it's something I've always been fascinated is the testing how the scores across the state continue to get uh worse and worse all the way through 8th grade. we're not really seeing that in Methactton. They're getting better. Um, so, you know, again, a big thank you to everybody. Um and also I think it it's uh important to point out that uh you know I think some of the direction that the administration has uh taken with the principles and some of the uh good hires we've had with principles as well to become the educator educational leadership uh position that we need to be driving those changes through the schools. So I just want to thank those are just comments. I don't really have a question but you're welcome to comment on anything I
086said. [snorts] No, thank you, Paul. I actually wish Danielle Pley was still here because she could do a much better job of explaining the I Ready uh success story, but it really the fascinating thing about that program, and I don't want to necessarily try to promote a program, but it isn't necessarily the content in I Ready. It's no different than anything else. It's the the way they're having people instruct and teach it that has been different. It's this notice and wonder mentality when it comes to mathematics. the why behind it. They just seem to articulate that well. Our teachers have done an amazing job absorbing that and relaying that. And so, and it's been that way across every grade level. So, thanks for noticing that. It's it really has been um it's been a great
087success story of ours. But appreciate the we I think our from our aids to our administrators, there's been a ton of hard work. Uh people have done a great job and we appreciate the recognition. Thanks, Paul. >> Any other questions or comments? Miss Graph? Yeah, I I also want to echo um Mr. Winter's comment. I I think the results look really good and I apologize because I was not at education. So I I just I there's a couple things. One, when we look at our results across compared to the state, it just makes me wonder like when we look at slide well, it doesn't have a number. Some of your slides had numbers on so thank you for putting numbers on some. It makes it much easier. Slide five. Um we're comparing to the state
088and I just wonder what our numbers would look like if we were comparing to Monco districts or comparable districts like if we compared to North Penn and Springford and Solderton and Pey what what would our numbers what would the differential be and would the results look as good as they do on this graph? >> Sure. So there it's definitely a tighter a tighter group. Um we look at we actually dig down really low when it comes to internal data analysis. And so we'll look at classroom specific growth um from year to year. Uh and that could be grade level, it could be teacher based. Um it is not meant to be an evaluative like come get somebody. It's this idea of like, okay, if this is an area that that we're not seeing that growth
089in, what are the type of supports we need to be able to offer that classroom in order for them to see the growth that we're seeing in other classrooms. Um, we're looking at data, whether it's benchmark data throughout the year to determine, are we seeing the trends that we would expect to see at this point. And so, um, there's a number of things that we're doing, probably more so than obviously than what we're showing as a more general one. Um but yes, and we do that across the board even with our own teachers. So when we look at third grade, we look at all of our third grade teachers as an example and where are our peaks and valleys and and what are the wise behind it? What was the benchmark data? And then we
090share that with our staff so they know, okay, here's what we're seeing and get a chance to for people to able to respond to the data. But um yeah, the county data is not the gap is not as large naturally as you would imagine. >> Right. So my other question actually was do we actually get down to parse by classroom because I think there could be you know lessons learned from you know certain teachers doing things a certain way certain classrooms certain even buildings might be doing it a little bit differently and we could really take those really positive outcomes and help other buildings or classrooms to improve. We totally do. So, we have um we have a teacher in the district. I will not use her name. Um but she is one of the
091top performing text dependent analysis >> proficiency scores that we've ever had. She's almost at 100% every year. It's it's incredible. Um and she would get very embarrassed if I said her name, so I won't. But we actually h she does an inservice for us on text dependent analysis because she's so strong at it. it goes so well for her peers to be learning from her on what she does to teach that and has increased her success. So, not only do we look at their scores, we literally break it down to the skills within their scores to determine where their strengths are. >> Right. Super helpful. I'm so glad to hear that. Um, the other question I had was about the Keystone exams to see if have we recovered to prepandemic levels? I see that on
092the Keystone trend, we're only showing from 2022 to 20245. So, I guess my question is while these look pretty good, how do they compare to prepandemic numbers? >> Let me let me see if I can get that for you. The PSSAs, they often tell well with both they often tell us to go beyond three years because the way the test format is, how they balance questioning, how many points to give one question versus another. when you go beyond three years, the the data becomes almost unnormalized and you can't really compare it to apples and oranges. But I still think to your point, it'd be worth knowing where we were. And so I I'll see if we can get that and get that to you. And then on the on the um chart the wellabove meets
093on page tw on 12 slide 12. Um so when I look at grade 8 we are that cohort is performing well above where they had been the year before in terms of growth. So when I go to the slide before that slide 11 and I look at let's go to the ELA for grade 8 that 2025 score is the same grade 8 class as on slide 12. >> Correct. >> Okay. So here's my here's my question. So grade 8 in 2025 performance was lower in ELA than it had been in grade 8 for 2024 class. Right? So they're two different classes. >> Yes. >> So our kids in ELA in grade 8 did not as well as they had the year before, but yet on slide 12 were sh showing that they were well above
094the growth that was anticipated. Right. >> So that indicates that they are potentially catching up. Is that >> or on the up? >> That is correct. That is correct. >> Like they're closing the gap. >> Yes. >> Um and I I imagine if you went back and we went and looked at the ELA scores for that same grade 8, they would show up in our chart on grade seven. >> Yes. >> For 2024. Yes. Which showed that there was a slight decrease that year. So if we look at so >> and I guess I'm just trying to like this chart where we show the you know it's well above proficiency growth >> doesn't always indicate whether or not we're increasing performance. >> Yeah. So it's a great question and so the algorithm for PES is
095a complicated algorithm but I try to explain it like this. When we look at the scores on on these slides, the ones that have the line graph, these are purely proficiency scores. They are how many kids passed it, how many kids didn't pass it. When we look at PEOS growth, they look at every individual student [snorts] and whether or not they improved a year's worth of growth. So, if you were below basic and ended up basic, you are you may have over a year's worth of growth. The idea is growing the student. So it may not result in a numerical increase but to the student that student has seen more than a year's worth of growth. And so that's why it's sometimes doesn't transfer very well onto those graphs. But right that's that's the comparison.
096>> Okay. Only because I I guess I would just caution the proficiency growth is not always an indicator of it's not an indicator of performance. >> Correct. >> It's an indicator of growth which I believe Miss the would say is really really really important. But I also think that performance, in other words, how the district is performing at grade eight, proficiency at grade eight is an indicator of consistent performance over time. >> It is why both metrics are used for our building level score. >> Okay? >> Both proficiency and growth. You looking at them individually doesn't as you all know if you're proficient and you're not growing that that's not great. And if you're growing and you're not proficient, that's not great. It's it's important to have both those metrics looking positive and so that's
097why they use both in that. >> So you you mentioned metrics. >> Yes. >> So I'm going to ask the question of do we have should we have goals and targets for proficiency? So should the district be saying for example at grade 8 we want 70% proficiency and that's our target and we're going to achieve that in three years time and we're going to do all these things sort of the things that you have listed in the back at the key efforts that we're making right but those key initiatives don't have measurable goals associated with them because I think they're all the things we're doing to achieve proficiency across all grade levels, right? >> So [clears throat] my question is should we be setting proficiency goals for the district? >> We we did set um
098so literacy goals for instance we did set in our comprehensive plan. Um I think that was 95% is what we had set and so kind of as a benchmark on what we were looking to achieve >> in terms of that we we know that there's naturally things that can happen but I mean 95 is lofty but but we believe we can get there. Um, >> so how will that be measured? That won't be measured though by any of our standardized tests to be able to compare to other districts >> and past [clears throat] history. >> Correct. It it's it's literacy proficiency is what we're looking at. And so, um, it again, it's something that we put in the comprehensive plan as a goal of ours that we're trying to achieve. Um, and I want to
099say it's a 3 to five year goal if I remember correctly. And so, um, but that's that's the place that we had put any of those benchmarks that we're looking to achieve. We do not have one for math. Um, but we did put one for literacy. >> So, you were very good at providing what we do have, but you didn't exactly answer my question, which is, >> please ask the question, >> should we have proficiency goals? And the reason I'm I'm pushing you a little bit is because while I think the literacy goal is fantastic for us to have, we don't have a million years of data to show where we were and how things have happened over time and to see the impact of things as we've changed and modified our programming and blah
100blah blah. So we don't have all this like historical analysis that we could reference. We're starting that, you know, today. >> Yeah. Um, so I'm still wondering if we if we should set proficiency goals related to ELA and math so that we can use the data we have to see the improvements or impacts of changes in where we're going. I is just my question. >> So the question was should we have goals? >> I I think in order for us to I think it would be a great conversation for us to have to determine if there's any type of growth goals that we should be looking at. I I would encourage us to think of it that way and not from a year-to-year standpoint, but more of a trend standpoint because we naturally recognize there
101are going to be peaks and valleys every year. Um, but if you're trending upwards in growth, I think that's what we would be looking for. >> And I think to your point, it could be a percentage that we want to achieve over a certain amount of time. It could be however the education committee may want to, but I just want to challenge the district to sort of let's we want to see improvement. let's see what we want to see and let's set goals associated with that. Um the other question I had was do you know how many AP courses we have? When I added up the numbers on this slide I realized that I was um doing that incorrectly because I I added them up and then I realized that we don't have there's 33
102uh courses referenced but some courses fall into more than one category on your slide. So there's not really 33 AP course offerings. I sort of came to the realization. Do you know how many we have? >> I don't have it on the top of my head, but I I will find out that for you. >> It It's fine. I just thought it might be interesting because again, even with the AP course work, I just wonder if there should be a goal for us and maybe our goal is we want to achieve 100% of our students, you know, a three or higher in every AP course we offer. I don't know what that is, but I just wonder if we should have a goal around that. I'm literally thinking in my spreadsheet and I it's like
10319 rows, but I I'll get it to you. I don't want to misquote that say the wrong thing. So, >> no worries. Okay. Thank you so much. >> You're welcome, Miss The >> Yeah. Thank you. Uh and just very quickly, I just wanted to share with Miss Graph um an experience that might help with the the PAS data um for clarity um or just a different experience. I've literally been in school districts and conversations where school districts have seen a rise in their overall proficiency levels, but their PEOS data has gone down because while overall the school district the the the grade level has risen their proficiency level, their advanced students did not make the growth they needed. So that PEOS data pulls in the growth of all students so that even your high achievers
104and a lot of school districts will focus and say this is pulling down our data. how are we growing our highest performing students? So, it pulls in that I just wanted to share share that piece of information. Um, and also I I just wrote down a note that it it would be I think a good question for schools cubed um our consultant would be hey are there realistic what what's realistic like goals levels I'm not saying that correctly but what's realistic for us to to kind of set checkpoints to make sure that the implementation is going well for what you were talking about. So, right. >> Thank you. Yes. >> Any other comments to my left? >> Right. >> To my right. Seeing none, Dr. Regina, thank you very much. Madame President, that ends the
105guest and scheduled speakers for this evening. >> Thank you all. Thank you for a great discussion. I know schools cube was at committee I believe January. Was it Jan? I don't >> I can't even remember when they were. Yeah, February. And um I believe one of the questions asked for her just um in based on the work that we're doing is time right time and patience with what the programs that we set for and um ensuring that we are giving it the time to make sure that um we are able to see what those that work will lead to. So I think it is good and I appreciate the points um shared by the board but I think it is worth exploring with them if there's anything else that we can consider when even if
106it's a matter of like um metrics or anything additional I think I I trust Miss T will connect with the ED committee um to discuss further. So I appreciate the presentation Dr. Regina. All right. So with that we will move to the rest of our meeting. Thank you all for the um great discussion and questions asked. Um we will now go to reports. Um and maybe I'll pass it to Miss Austin to start with the um North Marco. Welcome. >> Sure. Um we met virtually on Wednesday, February 18th, and we reviewed the budget, um which will be up for a vote next month. Um North Monco is requesting an increase of 3.22%. Um Mthactton's 5-year average attendance is 13.96% of the North Monco Tech student body. The proposed um 3.22% 22% represents an increase of
107about 55,000 to Methactton. Um we also heard about a grant that was awarded for the school to purchase two EV charging stations and they were recently installed by the electrical students and they are going to be used by the electrical and automotive tech students. Um the annual open house was held on January 31st where over,200 prospective students and families attended to learn about the programs and see the facilities. Um also we reviewed the comprehensive plan which is um let's see which is to be voted on next month and is on the North Monco Tech website for review if anyone wants to go see it. and we are currently engaged in a search for a new director um with uh Dr. Hos's uh resignation um set for I believe June 30th. So, we're currently searching for
108a new director and in the process of doing that. And finally, we received news that I believe seven method students um did very well in the Skills USA district competition and um scored first, second or third place. And I believe these students were recently highlighted on our Facebook page. So if you want to check out those students. Um and I think that ends my report. Thank you. >> Thank you. And we will go to legislative updates. Mindo. >> Thank you. The MCIU school board legislative committee met on February 4th of 2026. Um the legislative committee had a robust discussion on uh schools funding. Obviously, many of us are in budget season now. Uh, an important point we talked about was um federal funding trends and the MCIU addressing us and letting us know that as
109of right now, the state is not able to backfill the expected federal funding cuts. And um the meeting was then um turned over to a presentation by Representative Joe Webster who um was able to share some upcoming legislative proposals and trends that he's aware of that might impact schools. And one of them um specifically was about a ban a b-to-bell ban of cell phones in schools. and um many of the districts had comments and um expressed, you know, different viewpoints about not just the importance of the bill, but also um different implementation strategies if the bill were to be passed. And um our next meeting will be on March 4th of 2026. >> Thank you very much for those updates. Um and then we'll now go to the student um student board representative Isaac Noia.
110and I know you're flying solo today, so I appreciate you being here and sticking it out with us. >> Thank you. Um, yeah, I apologize on the behalf of Marin for not being here. Um, so I'll be presenting her a part. I'll try to fly through these. Um, you know, due to the winter weather, um, a lot of clubs have been hosting indoor activities like dine and donates, like at the, um, PJ Wellands and Eagleville Tap House. They do trivia nights, which seems to be very popular with students. Um, recently a lot of clubs have been selling goods like this Valentine's Day, they have sold forever roses, which have been made out of wood. A lot of students have been picking those up. We've had our senior banquet which seemed to be pretty wellreceived. Um,
111and then we even had the Mthactton mentors travel down to Eagleville during Valentine's Day to teach them a little bit about just feelings and all that fun stuff. Um, in sports news, as we all know, the basketball games have been bringing in a lot of people. Great support for our players. A little while ago in our gym classes, we held self-defense classes for all of our students just to teach them awareness and safety. Even bringing in some older students with previous experience to help give actual feedback. And for our spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors will be put on. It will feature a double cast, so everyone will be able to display their skills. It's happening this week, I believe, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And then we will be having another blood drive. This
112will be the second year of it. It will happen during the school day and afterwards so the community can come in and donate what they want. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Um and I can do the I know um the foundation presented earlier and we thank them for their donation and um they don't have further update for us. So I'll provide the MCIU update and then we'll move on. Um the MCIU is actually meeting tomorrow. So we are a month behind but um for January we welcome six new board members from Colonial, Upper Dublin, Lower Marian, Hotbury, Horscham, Solderon and Spring Springfield Township um joining a board just because some board members had end of term or they decided to um pass on their term to um incoming new board members. Um there
113were two presentations that the MCIU um provided. One was on prek counts where they discuss um qualifications for attending um the districts that hold classrooms throughout the county, enrollment and benefits for those that attend. The office of technology services also provided an overview of the contracts that they um are brought to the board for approval and a brief summary of some of the services provided. [clears throat] Um, as we all know, last month was um board member appreciation month and um the MCIU um did a a small video or a short video by the transition students and interview a few board members including just based on general questions that they had for us. Like one of my questions was what was my favorite food and whether I like chicken wings or the type of flavor
114wings that I like. So it was really nice to be at the MCIU Discovery Center with the students that day for the interview. But it was very exciting because for many of them they were just coming back for Christmas vacation. So all they had was to talk about was the presents that they received from center. So it was a nice opportunity to be at the MCIU with the um students that day. Um in addition, the MCIU provided its um membership budget and it was approved by um the board. I do want to highlight for [snorts] um March. March is um we are kicking off the MCIU is kicking off read across America. Um the week-long celebration will start in on the 2nd of March through the 6th of March and board members even board members
115here are all invited to sign up. um and show up at a classroom and read to the students there. And I can provide the link to anyone that's interested in doing that. It's usually a really great time and opportunity to also work with the um MCIU students. And then lastly, we do have the legislative breakfast that will take place on Friday, March 27th. I believe Beth is um putting in RSVPs for this board, so if you're interested in attending, you can let her know. um I think no later than March 17 so she can um put in her RSVPs for Miss I think based on what we're hearing and based on some of the um updates that Miss Okendo shared I think it'll be a great opportunity. So anyone that's available that can attend it
116starts early registration is at 7:00 a.m. and the program generally starts at 11 I'm sorry 8:00 a.m. and goes to about afternoon. So if you are available and can attend, you can make the time for it. And then with that, that's my update. The MCIU will be meeting tomorrow and I'll provide another update next month. And then I will turn it over to communication. Miss Scrollback. Good evening. We've been sharing some important messaging with all of our families regarding changes to the attendance reporting procedures. Beginning next Monday, which is March 2nd, families can no longer email the school to report their child absent. Families must either call the attendance office or use a new attendance monitor feature within P school. [snorts] The P school feature is a quick and easy way for families to report
117a tardy early departure or absent. And no follow-up note is needed with that method. We have a tutorial that we posted on our website. You can check it out at methactton.org/attendance. And I encourage everyone to go there and find all of the new guidelines and procedures for reporting an absence. All families should familiar familiarize themselves with these new procedures now because again it will go into effect on Monday. This week we'll be publishing our February edition of Methacted Matters. And this month will feature a video that highlights the collaborative work between Woodland Elementary's art and music teachers. This video includes an interview with a third grade student. He shares what it's like learning about different cultures and holidays through the lens of art and music. It's very cute. So, you can watch it on our
118website, Facebook, or YouTube page. We'll be posting it on Friday. Some community education updates. Registration for spring swim lessons opened yesterday morning. I just checked and already four of our classes are completely filled and the others are getting close to capacity. So, if you're interested in signing up, I recommend you do it as soon as possible because space is very limited. The lessons are for students ages 3 to 12. And then our summer camps will open for registration on March 9th. We have 10 different camps to choose from this year, including science explorer, Snapology, chess, kids fitness and fun, and warrior basketball camp. Additionally, the always popular Firebird Theater. They're offering a halfozen different camps and performances this summer at Arcola. So, you can check out the offerings. They're online now for your viewing at
119mathactton.org/summer. org/summeramps and again that registration will open on March 9th. Thank you. >> I did just have a quick question, Miss Scrollback. Sorry. In reference to the attendance um communication just cuz I know for many parents it's new and many of us I appreciate you putting a tutorial together. I think it'll be helpful, but I know we may not actually get to do it until the day when we find ourselves needing to use it. Is the tutorial also available on the website? >> Yes. So, if you go to mthactton.org/attendants, you'll see a link to a page that will have a written tutorial and also a video tutorial that you can watch. So, you can see what the screen will actually look like both on your phone and on a computer browser. >> Okay. But we'll
120have to log into P school to use that um >> to use the actual feature to report. Yeah, you'll have to log into P school. >> Is it is it for security? Is there a purpose for the change or like anything driving the change to now doing it in power school? >> So I believe Dr. Zan know if you want to take that. >> Yeah, there there was a number of well uh Dr. Dr. Grain, our director of pupil services, uh did a a review of the way we uh conduct attendance and there seems to be a number of different ways for which we were taking notes and uh accounting for that attendance in an organized fashion. We've consolidated the process to make it more streamlined for our families and to improve data accuracy. >>
121Okay. Thank you. Um Miss Alner, I think you had a comment question. I I just have a suggestion that maybe we want to put that on the website as a popup um that people need to dismiss just to create more awareness of that procedure. >> Yeah, great idea. We can definitely do that. >> Perfect. Thank you. And then with that, Dr. Zerby for the superintendence report. >> Thank you, Madam President. Um this evening I just have the monthly right to know report. Um you'll see in this report there are 15 new requests uh this month for a total of 28 uh request year to date. Uh and then this month we uh expensed about $8,635 uh cumulative with the right to know specialist assistant superintendent and legal cost for a total cost year to date
122of $64,591. That ends my report. Okay, thank you. And then the rest of the reports are attached um and can be found on the um attached to the agenda, right? >> Yes. >> Perfect. Okay. Um and then we will now take um public comment on board action items. And I'll just read, the board will now take comments on board action items. This is an opportunity for residents to comment on matters that are to be decided upon as outlined on the agenda. The board asks that you keep your comments to 3 minutes or less. The board of school directors may choose to respond to matters following the conclusion of the comments on board action items. And I just ask if you're coming to the podium, please state your name and municipality. Seeing none, we will move
123on with the um agenda. And at this point, I may I have a motion to approve the January 20, 2026 work session and the proposed preliminary budget um meeting and and January 27 regular um board meeting minutes as attached. Miss Chanda and Miss Clearary. Um, can I have all in favor? All right. So, 8 Z, right? Perfect. And then um let me just make sure. Okay. So now we'll move to fiscal items. May I have a motion to approve the fiscal items as presented? A second Miss Graph. And then can I just see if there's any um comments or discussion from the board? All right, seeing none. Um can I have all in favor? Any opposed? 8 Z and personal items. May I have a motion to approve the personal items that's presented? All right,
124Miss Ste and second, Miss Shanda. And then can I just ask if there's any comments from the board? Yes, Miss D. >> Thank you so much. Um I I do just want to take 30 seconds to um congratulate those who have put in for their res uh for their retirement. Um and I do want to just congratulate um Mskoff from Arrowhead Elementary. Uh when a child goes through a K to4 school, you think you'll be in that community for fiveish years. Um when you have multiple children, you end up being there for almost a decade. And Miss Scoff has received numerous phone calls from myself over the past years and I just want to thank her for her kindness, her patience, and holding at least my family somewhat together when it comes to the school
125year to school. So I can only imagine what she has done for the community. So, I just want to thank her for that and congratulate her down in Florida. >> Thank you. I'm sure she's having better weather than we are. And then can I just see if there's any other um comments? All right. Seeing none, may I um all in favor for all in favor? All right. Any oppose? And motion carries. A Z. All right. Curriculum. May I have a motion to approve um the items 11B and 11 C listed under curriculum and programs. All right, Miss Chanda. And I saw Miss Graph. Second. And can I just check if the board have any questions or comments? All right. See none. All in favor? Any oppose? The motion carries. 80. All right. Policy. Um, may
126I have a motion to approve policies listed for second read as presented? All right, Miss Austin, Miss Chandanda for a second. Any questions or comments? All right. And then all in favor? All right. All any opposed? All right. That carries 8 Z. All right. And then may I have a motion to approve the items um under other as presented. All right, Miss Alustin. All right, Miss Chander. And then can I check if there's any comments from the board for um all items under other? Yes, Miss is this where I can ask questions or is that I'm having a like can I can ask questions, right? Okay. Um I just have a question. Um two questions for just for 13D um the earlier retirement incentive. Um we received uh some public comment over the past week
127that expressed concern about teacher experience and the earlyment um incentive and that impact that it could have. So, I'm just wondering if um the board could get some um information about the experience across the district in of I'm not phrasing this well. It's been a long day. Um some sort of report that captures the experience levels in the district of our instructional staff to see so we could kind of get an idea of what the impact could be for early retirement and also obviously those upcoming. Am I being clear in what I am asking? [laughter] >> Is clear to me. Maybe I'll pass it over. >> Yeah, I I I think um Dr. Regina kind of covered this in the presentation. So Dr. Regina, um I think we l looked at the number of superanuated
128look at the people of early retirement and um we also recognize that part of the reason we are doing this is to address what is potentially be a large wave of retirements in the very near future. So could you explain that for us again please? >> Sure. Thank you Dr. Zerby and thanks Miss Steel for asking. Um so the the wave that we're Dr. Dr. Zerby is referring to um by the 2829 school year there's 92 individuals that could be affected by the early retirement incentive but the wave is the three-year wave which is 47 will be superanuated and so for the public superanuated essentially means that you would retire through the pie system with no penalty meaning you are fully vested in the system and you can retire at that moment in time which
129is typically when people do and so uh we are expecting that 47 wave to hit in three years. And so if there's a way for us to spread that wave out so we don't assume all of that at one time, um that certainly would be advantageous for the district. >> Thank you. That's so that that's very helpful. I guess what I wanted what I would love to see and and I don't expect this to be readily available is not just this wave of the 92 teachers and the 40 some odd teachers 47 teachers but what's the experience of the teachers who will be left like I think that there might some be some people who are seeing this and hear that number and be like oh no oh goodness what if we have all these
130teachers who have all this experience and then everyone's like you know 0 to 5 which I know is not the truth but it would be great to see that data. Does that work? >> And the and the good news that Dr. Regina shared at the uh the work session was that that's why the reason we put a cap where the board has the right to reserve a stop gap in this process so that we do just that. We balance uh this process so that we make sure that we have the needs uh for our students and for the district uh long term. >> Mr. Winst. >> Yeah. I think one thing that could be given very easily to the board is just the salary matrix where people sit on the column and step. It doesn't
131mean that they have enough years if they're on step 16 or 15 or whatever it is now [laughter] and masters plus 30, but at least you could see how most uh most of our population is in the lower right hand corner um and what that means. But more than twothirds of the of the staff are sitting above that. So you're talking aboutund a population of about 150 or so I believe um Dr. Regina but I think that could easily be provided by Miss Steffy and without going into a whole lot of detail about specific number of years for every employee. >> Thank you. I think that would be really usable. >> Yeah, that that Paul uh I mean Mr. Winter is correct. we can give you that data that that's that's I just wanted to
132make sure that we overcome any concern that you know in general that the public has with with respects to these large numbers. Um so this is you know well I think well written well designed to uh use it as a as a as a control gap to to to move this forward. So I just wanted to also sh um just ask I know that there that in the work session it was um the question was asked like if this is being extended to administration and that that was not seen as um financially beneficial. Anyway, there was it was considered and chosen not to. Um, and I guess my only request is going forward. I am I am going to support this right now. I'm not questioning it. I am going to support it as um
133knowing and seeing what who responds and and then what comes from there. Um, but I do just I guess I would just request and maybe ask the administration to consider if there are other paths forward since we're looking at and part of the reason is because of the budget. um if there are paths for possible other attrition when it comes to administration. Thank you, >> Miss Ste. I'm sorry, Miss Graph. Still had Miss Steel on the brain. Sorry, >> Miss Steel already had her turn. [laughter] [clears throat] >> I just wanted to clarify one thing about the early retirement incentive. I think earlier there was a comment about teachers potentially coming back to provide additional training for our existing teachers and I just wanted to clarify if I think I heard that when the teachers
134take the early retirement incentive they have to agree that they will not teach does that is that would that be accurate like they can't consult or >> they no so so yes and no they they cannot come back into the public >> retire uh system. So they could consult, >> okay, >> but they cannot come back and teach under the >> Pennsylvania Paser system. >> Okay. So we could potentially have them provide like consulting services to train younger teachers or to provide some expertise in areas where we might benefit. >> I I can promise you that if we were to get 30 people, there will be 30 letters that Dr. Sergini sends out to come substitute the next day to those individuals. >> [laughter] >> So yes, they will be consulting offered to consult one
135way or another uh with us for sure. >> I just I I think it's a great idea and I don't want us to lose sight of the potential to you know sort of capitalize on their experience and what they bring to the district and you know even mentoring right I think that could be really helpful. So thank you. >> Yeah thank you. Um, and then with that, I'll check if there's any additional comments. And if not, I will ask um all in favor. All right. Any oppose? And that motion carries. 8 Z. And now with that um I have dates for board members calendar and the board meeting dates are listed on the agenda and available on the district website. Um with the first upcoming or the next upcoming meeting being the ED committee meeting
136which was highly talked about here tonight. So reminding you all March 3rd um 6:30 p.m. Fina for ED committee and then all our other committee meetings are followed and I believe March is the first date for the policy committee um I'm sorry property committee meeting um date change right so it'll be on Monday um so that will be on March 9th and I'm not going through the rest of the day but just wanted to highlight that since that is um a recent change for for it and then with that I will just ask the board if we have any old or new business. Miss Chander, >> thank you. I was wondering if there are any conversations or plans around auditing our special education program because it's having such an impact on our budget and if
137we're doing anything to assess how our program is how our program is doing compared to other Montgomery County school districts or the state or the you know an assessment. >> I think there's been a number of conversations over at least over the last two years. Many of the members of the board have been part of those conversations in terms of redoing uh program uh reviews, having outside third parties do reviews. In fact, I believe it might be uh you know, we've had uh program reviews of our gifted program. We've had reviews of our uh of our um uh behavioral uh programs. We've had uh a number of of those reports. I think some of those are coming up to the education committee here in the next uh few meetings. Uh but certainly um that work
138needs to continue um in terms of uh making sure that we do not only look at our own programs and how we're operating them but compare them to similar schools and similar sizes. Uh so we've provided a little bit of that data in terms of staffing uh uh to the board. We have uh more reports to provide the board as part of that. So, so ED committee can expect to get some of that reporting. I >> believe there's discussion about having the gifted uh I I call it an audit, but it's not as you know, we use an audit where you look at it's like you say financial piece uh because most of >> that's not where our our that's not technically where our issue is. the the program and the way the program's delivered
139and the resources and the costs to deliver that program are the things that are are our biggest challenge and then they turn into the budgetary pieces. Uh so when we use the word audit, we're we're talking about a review and then then comparing that to similar districts uh of of wealth and and and ability to to provide those programs. Um so that's that I think is being provided uh either this coming month or the following month as part of uh the educ education committee. But in addition to that, um we we've been talking uh with board leadership about uh doing a a more uh deeper dive uh discussion information session with the board on special education overall and what where our program is today, what we plan to do uh for next year and what
140we plan to do in the next three years. >> Okay. Thank you. Miss Shana, can I just clarify if when you reference audit and this is coming from I guess I may be thinking manufacturing. Are you thinking third party coming in to look at our program itself instead of the reviews that we're doing like >> correct? Yeah. Is that what you're >> So almost like having someone like schools cubed come and give us some feedback. What are we doing great? What are we not? what are other districts around us doing? Um I the feedback we got from Patty Montgomery and the last ad committee was fantastic to get to have some insight into what they're looking at and how we're making changes and shifting things. So, I was just curious if we could do something
141like that with our specifically our special education programming. And I'll just take a note on that just cuz I know I believe we talked about we've had something like this before, but I can we can definitely follow up just to see um what you know what's available and what's there. But I know I think this was raised that's why I just wanted to clarify if your question was really about information session for the board as far as training but more as far as the third party. So I'll take note on that and then and then I saw Miss still have her hands up and I'll come back. Perfect. Yeah, I just wanted to add I think um and I'm trying to remember if it was the it was a University of M and it was
142Minnesota or Montana and right now I cannot remember but um one of the local districts was doing um an audit of their special education program and systems. Um I would be interested to see how much that would cost. Um I would also be interested again similar with literacy. Um you know I would be interested to see if there are other states and other organizations and other um maybe universities that provide insight in application. in my experience um at least when it comes to literacy and having applicable realistic um practices that impact student achievement and school success. The universities tend to put out um really wellfounded that's you know the UFly um not why am I forgetting everything right now? uh the UFly uh program for reading um which our our elementary schools are using. It's
143relatively low cost compared to the big box curriculum. Um University of Delaware has bookworms which is a reading curricula that's relatively low cost and has been having extreme success across the nation. Um the other university um professors have different pieces of interventions that are supported that they do research on and continue to maintain and increase um increase their efficac effect effectiveness um as they gather data and its application across the board. Um, which is why I would be interested if there's a since the one school district nearby, and I'm even forgetting that school district right now, but I think it's it's either University of Minnesota or Montana, they have um a uh an arm of their university that that does special education audits and provides applicable, usable um ways to help or to and feedback.
144Wow, I'm going to stop talking now because it's getting late. Um, but I just wanted to share that half pieces of information. >> Thank you. Um, I got what you were saying, so I appreciate your comments and feedback. >> Yes. And Miss Graph. Yeah, I I think we had talked about this before and I guess I took Miss Chanda's comments and I I in my head I sort of see it as a benchmarking evaluation where we're benchmarking the programming, what we offer, what our students receive, the cost, how it's implemented, the numbers, how many how many teachers, you know, the ratios, all the things. Um, so not just not just looking at the programming and saying is this programming good or could we improve it, but then also going the next step to say is
145it a coste effective program compared to what other people pay for those same services? Are we are we overpaying, underpaying? Do we get what we really need for the dollars we're spending? And I I just I kind of I know we had this conversation last year and I feel like I haven't seen that data and I I'd really be interested to see how we could or if we could benchmark um program plus cost plus outcomes, you know, to see if we can sort of tie those things together. Um so so that's all that just sort of came up for me on the when she was talking about audits. Um, and the other question I have for Dr. Regina is now that the therapy dog policy has been passed, can you tell us how people can
146sign up to bring their therapy dog to our elementary schools, high schools, middle schools, and all events at Mthactton? >> Yes. So, we are now working as an administrative team on the administrative guidelines, and then we'll have all those specifics here in the very near future for the board. >> Very near future. So, so tune in for next month. Is that what we're saying? Not this will not be at ED committee but um it will be at a future meeting. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you all. Um looking forward to hear more about um the therapy dogs and the guidelines that we put around it. I think it'll be um exciting time in our schools. Um and now I will pass it on to the part of the agenda where we do courtesy
147of the floor. Um, the board of school directors will now provide an opportunity for residents to make comments on matters that are or may be before the board. The board asks that you keep your comments to 3 minutes or less. The board of school directors may choose to respond to matters following conclusion of the comments. You can also submit questions via email to information.org. Please state your name and municipality. And then um seeing none, I will um I don't I don't think so. Okay. Um seeing none, I will ask for a motion to adjourn the meeting. All right. Miss Steel is on it and Miss Austin. [laughter] All right. And then with that, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all and have a good evening.