Wrapping Up the 2023-2024 School Year

Happy Last Day!

Although this is not the last day for several of you, it is for most. But, as we conclude another remarkable year at Mena Public Schools, it is with great pride that we reflect on our journey and accomplishments. This year, our focus was on achieving specific performance targets that would enhance the educational experience for our students and foster a culture of excellence within our community. Through the unwavering dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our students, and the supportive involvement of our parents and community members, we have made significant strides toward our goals. Join us as we celebrate the milestones reached, acknowledge the challenges overcome, and look ahead to the bright future we are building together.

Mena Public Schools Performance Summary for the 2023-2024 School Year

As we wrap up the 2023-2024 school year, we take pride in reflecting on our performance targets and the progress we have made towards our goals. Below is a summary of our achievements and areas for improvement across various metrics.

Attendance

Target: 93.5%

Actual: 92.8%

Reflection: Our continuous efforts to improve attendance have been fruitful, driven by initiatives such as increasing student engagement activities, providing information on the importance of attendance, enhancing sanitation efforts, and appointing staff to assist students and families. Even though we did not hit our target, our attendance rate increased this year.

Discipline

Target: 10% reduction in discipline referrals

Actual: 22.8% increase

Reflection: We have actively participated in the Arkansas THRIVE project and built BX3 teams to develop tiered behavior support systems. Our data-driven approach has helped address and reduce disciplinary issues effectively. The improved tracking of referrals that resulted from these efforts increased the number of referrals. Our target will remain the same for next year and the data will be more accurate.

English Language Arts (ELA)

Target: 70% on-grade-level performance

Actual: 54.5% on grade-level

Reflection: Through the establishment of essential learning standards and a new standards-based curriculum, we have made significant strides in ELA performance. The collaborative efforts to identify and address student needs have shown positive outcomes. Despite not hitting our target, our growth this year was good. We moved over 10 percent of our students into the ‘ready’ or ‘exceeding’ categories this year which translates to 170 of our students. Furthermore, those who did not move into those categories still grew and we will know how much when ATLAS results come out. Check out the Performance Targets website to see the graphs representing how this year has gone.

Mathematics

Target: 60% on-grade-level performance

Actual: 49.6% on grade-level

Reflection: Aligning K-12 instruction with Eureka Math and Illustrative Mathematics, implementing MathQuest, and providing targeted support and tutoring have contributed to steady progress in math performance. Despite not hitting our target, our growth this year was good. We moved over 8.25 percent of our students into the ‘ready’ or ‘exceeding’ categories this year which translates to 140 of our students. Furthermore, those who did not move into those categories still grew and we will know how much when ATLAS results come out. Check out the Performance Targets website to see the graphs representing how this year has gone.

Looking Ahead

We acknowledge the areas where further improvements are needed and remain committed to our students' success. Our strategies, grounded in data analysis and community support, are paving the way for sustained academic excellence and personal growth for all students.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, supportive families, and hardworking students for contributing to this year’s accomplishments. We look forward to continuing our journey of educational excellence in the coming year.

Closing

Please note that the ATLAS scores, which are critical for evaluating our science performance, will be available in the fall, and the final graduation rate for this academic year is still pending and will be reported once the final determination is in.

It was another good year for us at Mena Public Schools!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a nice summer!