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Week 35: Performance Target Review and Reflection
Happy Friday!
As we wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, passion, and resilience of our staff. Throughout the year, you have gone above and beyond to create positive learning experiences for our students, and this week, it has been heartening to see so many businesses, families, and community members step up to show their appreciation. Your work matters, not just this week but every single day, and the impact you have on the lives of our students is both profound and lasting. Thank you for everything you do.
Now, as we turn our attention to Week 35 and our Performance Target Review, we have much to reflect upon. While our goal of reducing discipline referrals by 10% proved to be a challenge, and our attendance is slightly less than what we were shooting for, the information we have gathered throughout the year provides valuable insights into our practices and areas for growth. By examining these results closely, we can better understand the impact of our efforts, refine our strategies, and identify opportunities to further strengthen the culture of accountability and support across our schools. The progress we did see this year is a testament to your commitment to maintaining high expectations and investing in the success of every student. We will carry these lessons forward as we plan for a stronger and more focused year ahead.
Discipline Referrals
One of our district goals for this school year was to reduce discipline referrals by 10% from the previous year. After reviewing the data, we recognize that we will not reach that goal. In FY24, there were a total of 1,205 discipline incidents reported. In FY25, that number rose to 1,444—an increase of approximately 20%, rather than the desired decrease.
While this outcome may initially seem discouraging, several key factors and points of progress should be acknowledged:
* Implementation of the No Cell Phone Policy: This year marked the first time we fully enforced a no cell phone policy, a proactive step that aligns with what will become state law next year. While the transition brought a notable increase in Personal Electronic Device (PED) violations (from 15 in FY24 to 116 in FY25), this increase reflects our consistent enforcement of an entirely new behavioral expectation, which is one that ultimately protects instructional time and supports student focus.
* Improved Clarity and Reporting: The rise in total referrals is likely influenced by increased staff consistency in reporting, particularly in categories like Tardies (99 in FY25 vs. 10 in FY24) and PEDs. These numbers do not necessarily signal worse behavior but rather better alignment to policy enforcement and a stronger culture of accountability.
* Reduction in Major Incidents: Some of the more serious infractions showed improvement. Fighting incidents decreased from 36 in FY24 to 30 in FY25, and harassment-related reports dropped from 42 to 32. These are meaningful steps forward and likely reflect the positive effects of our early interventions and behavior support frameworks.
* Consistency in Key Areas: Despite the overall increase, other categories remained stable. Tobacco/e-cigarette violations stayed nearly the same (62 vs. 61), and bus-related incidents increased only slightly from 278 to 318, despite the growth in ridership and route coverage. The same goes for overall assignments of ISS and OSS consequences.
While the raw totals did not meet our reduction goal, our data shows we are moving toward a more structured, intentional, and proactive discipline system. Our next steps will include refining supports for Tier I and Tier II behaviors, continui
Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago