Middle school sets modest ELA, math targets under ATSI plan

At the Lisbon School Committee workshop on Aug. 31, Julie presented the middle school's Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) plan and its measurable goals for the 2026 school year. She said the district identified the middle school as an ATSI school because specific subpopulations and chronic absenteeism rates required intervention. "By the end of this school year, the school wide ELA proficiency rate will increase from the 2023 baseline of 73.84% to 74.53%," Julie said, and she added a comparable math goal: raising math proficiency from 43.57% to 45.56%.

Julie emphasized that small percentage changes represent just a handful of students moving from below proficiency to meeting it: a 1% change can equate to five or six students depending on cohort movement. Committee members asked for subgroup details and Julie explained the state tracks cohorts and that changes to statewide assessments can reset multi-year tracking, complicating release from ATSI status.