District aims to improve student outcomes
By John Earp
This past Tuesday afternoon, Jal Public Schools conducted a Strategic Planning Session/workshop involving administrators as well as School Board Secretary, Mrs. Jaime Earp. Administrators present for the meeting were Mr. Dusty Loftis, Mr. Buddy Little, and Mrs. Karen Komar. The session was a major step in what Superintendent Brian Snider has organized as a six-year plan, which is designed to improve student outcomes in instruction, especially in math, language arts, and career readiness. The six-year plan was instituted last August by Mr. Snider, and so far, has involved analyzing the classrooms and curricula, meeting with teachers, administrators, and the public to identify educational domains in need of improvement within the district. Tuesday’s session involved the plan to begin implementation of the new strategies in the upcoming school year.
The planning session involved the setting of goals and strategies for the next several years with a view to improve student outcomes in career readiness, literacy, mathematics proficiency by 20% over the next three academic years. The district will utilize integrated curriculum, skills development programs, and community partnerships, with the development and implementation of an integrated curriculum that combines literacy, mathematics, and career-focused projects. The plan is to use real-world problems and scenarios to make learning relevant, and provide professional development workshops focusing on integrating career readiness with literacy and mathematics instruction, including implementation of targeted interventions for students requiring additional help in literacy and mathematics. Progress will be measured through standardized tests, career readiness assessments, and teacher evaluations, and will seek to establish partnerships with local businesses, colleges, and vocational programs to offer career exploration opportunities, as well as organize career days, internships, and mentorship programs for students. A career readiness program that includes resume writing, job interviews, and essential workplace skills, as well as bi-annual workshops and information sessions for parents on supporting career readiness, literacy, and mathematics at home will be implemented. The district will develop a resource center with materials to aid parents in these efforts, and will conduct progress monitoring to adjust student instruction and adjust instructional strategies based on assessment outcomes, reporting progress to stakeholders at regular intervals and conducting assessments to track student progress in literacy, mathematics, and career readiness. The district plans to incorporate technology tools that support career readiness, literacy, and mathematics learning, and to ensure teachers and students are proficient in these tools.
A second strategic goal for Jal Public School District is to enhance parent and community engagement, by June 30, 2027, at all schools in the district, by implementing a comprehensive plan that promotes open communication collaboration, and active involvement resulting in the increase of student, parental and community involvement by 20% over prior year’s as measured by surveys, attendance logs at activities, and responses to surveys. According to the material presented in the workshop, the plan is that by the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, Jal Public School District will implement a fully articulated instructional program across all grade levels and subjects within the district. This will result in teachers increasing student engagement activities by 30% annually in every classroom as measured by classroom observations and student engagement surveys. The district aims to ensure that all students attending Jal Public School District will achieve optimal learning outcomes, by the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, the district will provide professional development and instructional supports necessary to recruit and retain a staff comprising 100% highly qualified personnel. Jal Public Schools will create a safe supportive, and respectful learning and social environment where every member of the educational community can thrive, achieving a 95% satisfaction rate among students, parents and staff by the end of the 2026-2027 academic year.
On April 11th, a needs assessment meeting with various members of the community was held at the cafeteria. Current needs were presented by various participants, which included students, parents, teachers, administrators and school board members. Needs identified and stratified in that meeting included: Developing a strong trades program/Career Technical Education, making it a priority to increase reading and math skills, strengthening the ELL program, vertical alignment with the time to build the alignment, substance abuse awareness programs, addressing the need for more debate and speech skills/communication skills. Additional needs identified in the meeting included: Data driven instruction, development of a job shadowing program/internship program, more parent support/involvement at the elementary school level, more relevant professional development to increase student engagement, and more substitute teacher training.
Cooperative Educational Services (CES), a statewide nonprofit made up of all school districts, as well as municipalities and nonprofits across the state, has been called in by the district to assist in the analysis and planning of the six-year plan. Snider is the current president of CES.