Prompted by the superintendent’s report on the school district’s performance and what it could do better, school board members spent an evening talking about possible changes that could lead to more student engagement and improved learning.

Board President John DeRuyter opened the Jan. 28 work session by emphasizing the need for a strategic timeline.

“There are two things we need to think about,” DeRuyter said. “What are some positive changes we can get to immediately, and which will need to be further down the road? We need a clear sense of where we’re going to go.”

The session was prompted by Superintendent Joshua Garrett’s 45-page district performance report, which was presented at the Jan. 19 board meeting. The report urged the district to consider altering its educational approach. Garrett said schools should move away from traditional models that prioritize attendance over comprehension.

Board Member Liz Roundtree said she has spoken with numerous high school students. “What I keep hearing a lot about is the want for Advanced Placement classes and high school enrichment,” Roundtree said. “There are some students that are thinking ahead past high school to college.”

Garrett said, “In the current system, we demand punctuality and attendance. And a student either passes or fails, with no clear indication they fully understand what they have been taught. That is a failure. That’s the kind of thing we need to reevaluate.”

The board on Jan. 28 discussed “mastery learning,” where students must demonstrate a thorough understanding of a topic before moving forward.

High School Principal Greg Clark noted that a pilot online Spanish class through a private company, Proximity Learning, has already seen positive engagement.

“The students are showing interest for that,” Clark said. “The numbers fluctuated a little, but I believe there are currently five students in that class.”

Garrett explained the online class could lead to a larger project. He explained that Proximity Learning will tailor its classes to whatever teaching methodology the school wants to use.

“I believe that online learning should be synchronous, and Proximity Learning is,” he said. “If this current class is a success, I have an idea of possibly using them to help us facilitate a kind of academy within the high school that students can join.”

Garrett said his idea for an academy within the high school would include online classes of the elective variety, but not necessarily classes commonly found in most schools. He suggested that future online courses could be specifically designed to follow the mastery style.

Board Member Dan Powers acknowledged that while the shift represents a significant education culture change, starting with small steps could lead to long-term success.

“After reading the report and looking at ideas for the future, I feel like mastery learning could encompass some of the things we’re wanting to address,” Powers said. “I think we might be looking at a cultural shift with the community and staff with mastery learning. But if we start slow and small, then it could work really well.”

Board Member Bonnie Ritchie also expressed enthusiasm for the change, citing its benefits for individual learners.

“What I keep hearing about it really makes me excited,” Ritchie said. “As a parent who does homeschooling, the concept of mastery learning is exactly what we’re looking for.”

Garrett concluded that the district is in a strong position to try something new.

“We’re at a turning point here, and I think we can take advantage of that in a way that would benefit all of our students and the community,” he said. “I believe we already have some strong community support. And if anyone in the community has some good ideas for our district, I want to hear them.”

During a Jan. 29 interview, Garrett explained that the next step will involve determining which classes high school students would like to take through Proximity Learning and designing a mastery-style structure for that to follow.

The board took no action at the work session. Garrett said changes could potentially start and run through the next school year with multiple online courses.