Fayetteville school district to adjust plan due to pandemic

FAYETTEVILLE -- The School Board approved resetting the goals for student success in the district's strategic plan because the pandemic has limited the data collected this year.

The board participated in an online retreat Thursday and Friday to review the plan, which includes information on student proficiency and sets objectives for learning growth.

"We need to think about how we're going to get ready for the 2021-22 school year," said John L Colbert, superintendent.

The plan was first published in 2019 and forecasts goals for the district through 2023 concerning equitable teaching and learning, academic and career goal support, creating a culture of integrity, honesty and trust and ensuring equitable and financially sustainable access to physical and technology resources, according to the plan.

The pandemic significantly affected the district's ability to gather information for determining student success, which is integral to developing benchmarks for students and staff within the plan, said Kelli Dougan, assessment and accountability director.

The lack of information makes it difficult to know whether student performance is improving, Dougan said.

Data collection has been challenged by numerous factors during the pandemic, including quarantines, the use of multiple learning models and limitations on in-person access to teachers, she said.

Learning objectives are determined using student achievement data gathered from surveys, course and club enrollment and several standardized assessment tests, according to the strategic plan.

Dougan used the ACT, a test designed to measure students' progress toward college and career readiness, as an example of the challenges the pandemic has presented. Districts are required to have 95% of students participate in the ACT, she said. The test will be administered in April, and Dougan doesn't anticipate the district meeting that participation requirement.

Students have to take the test at school, she said, which may discourage some from participating due to concerns about entering the school during the pandemic.

Social distancing, masks and other safety measures used to mitigate the spread of the covid-19 virus may also be stressful for students and could impact test performance for those not used to current, in-person learning conditions, Dougan said.

She proposed using what data the district can gather for the 2020-21 school year to set new goals toward continued student growth in the strategic plan. All 2020-21 assessments will be reported in the plan, said Holly Johnson, the district's communications director. The plan should be updated this summer, she said.

Tim Hudson, board secretary, said there are a lot of unknowns concerning student success at the moment, but the board will continue to compare what data it receives to help plan for meeting educational goals.

"The pandemic will certainly have a beginning, middle and end," said Steven Weber, teaching and learning associate superintendent. "We're still in that middle, where there's a lot of uncertainty."