Bardstown school board approves district’s proposed improvement plan
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Bardstown Board of Education member James Roby looks over the district’s improvement plan at its meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 — With a goal of improving student achievement across the district, the Bardstown Independent Board of Education approved the district’s 2014-15 Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) at its meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Cara Blackmon, the district’s director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, told the board the CDIP “is our roadmap for continues improvement, and a way to keep us focused on enhancing student achievement,” she said. “It starts with this intentional focus.”
The improvement plan’s six goals include:
— improving organization leadership among teachers and district leaders;
— improving combined proficiency in reading and math in the elementary and middle schools;
— improving reading and math skills among students who may have some learning challenges;
— raise graduation rate from 85 percent to 87 percent in 2015;
— improve college and career readiness, and;
— providing professional development and training opportunities for teachers.
Bardstown Elementary School Principal Paul Bowman discusses plans for improving the school’s K-PREP scores in the next year.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PLAN. Bardstown Elementary School Principal Paul Bowman told the board about the school’s improvement plan which he called “The March to Proficiency.”
“The good news is that we’ve made steady progress and moving toward proficiency,” Bowman said.
The investment in smartboards has paid off in the elementary school, he explained. The boards offer an interactive way for students to participate, particularly in math and reading.
In addition to focusing on specific student content areas, Bowman said the program reviews — which make up part of each school’s total K-PREP score — are targeted for the 2014-15 year. The low program review scores pulled the school’s total score down, he said.
Bowman said that he and his staff are taking specific looks at their weaknesses in the program review process and are looking forward to improving the scores next year.
-30-
