Jasper Middle School principal reports gains in 6th‑grade math, special education students show improvement

Miranda Combs, principal of Jasper Middle School, told the board that the school's teachers produced the highest 6th‑grade math results the school has seen and that 6th‑grade proficiency and the 'proficient/distinguished' bands rose 7 percentage points year over year. "25 percent of our sped students in 6th grade math got proficient and distinguished," Combs said, noting two students earned Distinguished and six earned Proficient among that cohort.

Combs credited targeted tutoring, use of data platforms Beacon and LinkIt (purchased by the district) and weekly teacher feedback and coaching for the gains. She said LinkIt and Beacon allow staff to pull individual student data instantly to group learners and address skill gaps. Combs also outlined professional development steps including weekly classroom visits with immediate feedback forms and a book‑study focused on instructional practice. The superintendent and board praised the progress and asked a few follow‑up questions about scaling practices across schools.