Board Update: June 13, 2025

Testing & Accountability

The State recently released the 4-year Cohort Graduation Rates for the Class of 2024. Norwalk’s graduation rate increased to 92.6%, up from 91.6% for the Class of 2023, surpassing the state average of 88.9%. Notably, the largest one-year gain was observed among Multilingual Learners (MLLs), whose graduation rate rose by 8.4 percentage points—from 70.9% in 2023 to 79.3% in 2024. Graduation rates for Black students also increased significantly, rising 4.2 points to 95.4%. Similarly, students eligible for free/reduced lunch saw a 4.2 point increase, reaching 92.6%.

In addition, the state released the 2025 LAS Links results, which assess progress among multilingual learners toward achieving English Mastery. Growth data from students who tested in both 2024 and 2025 show improved performance in both literacy and oral language skills. Norwalk’s growth in these areas exceeded the state average, demonstrating effective support and instruction for our MLL population.

Research & Analytics

The spring Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) feedback cycle concluded this week, with 620 responses submitted by families and Norwalk Public Schools staff. These survey responses, combined with insights from a series of PoG focus groups, are now being analyzed to inform the next phase of implementation.

End-of-year data from DIBELS, NWEA, and SBAC assessments have been uploaded to the district’s data dashboards. District-level analyses are currently underway to evaluate student growth, examine the effectiveness of programs, and identify equity gaps.

Schools are actively engaging in data-driven planning to close out the current year’s School Improvement Plans and to shape priorities for the upcoming year. The process begins with a Needs Assessment in which school teams review student data for patterns and trends, identify key areas for improvement, and develop a theory of action to guide their strategies. Drafts of the Needs Assessment are due in approximately one month, with full School Improvement Plans expected by early August.

Coaching Curriculum Sessions

The secondary literacy coaches met to plan around the new ELA curriculum. They facilitated a session with grade-band teachers around the new resource and helped collect survey information on the core novels that staff would like to be included for the 2025-26 school year. Coaches continue to prepare staff materials for summer access so teachers are prepared to teach the new curriculum at the start of the school year.

Food Services

A big thank you to all of our amazing Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) schools for their participation this year, we’ve officially used up all our allocated funds, a sign of how much everyone enjoyed the fruits and veggies! We are now awaiting application approvals from the State for our 2025–2026 grant cycle. Fingers crossed for positive news soon.

Chartwells is actively preparing for our Summer Meal Program to ensure students have access to healthy meals while enjoying their break. Families can check out the list of Open Meal Sites and Times to grab a bite.

In partnership with the City of Norwalk, we are also preparing to launch the new Composting Mandate this fall. Meetings with principals are underway, and beginning in September, we’ll be visiting schools to support implementation. Get ready to go very green!

School Safety

Operations, MUTUALINK operators, the Norwalk Police Department, and building administrators have successfully completed onsite testing of the MUTUALINK emergency response system at every school in the district. The system is now fully operational and will automatically activate only if a true LOCKDOWN emergency is triggered through RAPTOR. In such cases, police will have real-time access to school cameras and floorplans. A non-emergency test of the MUTUALINK platform will be conducted at Brien McMahon High School’s graduation.

Additionally, we are collaborating with our Raptor representative to explore enhancements to the RAPTOR Emergency Management system. These may include tools for tracking student movement, improving visitor security, and streamlining check-ins during large school events.

We are also concluding the pilot of the Ambient AI Threat Detection System in select district locations. This cutting-edge platform is designed to improve safety and will support the development of a secure school environment. More information on this initiative will be shared soon.

Transportation

Norwalk Public Schools extends sincere thanks to our transportation partners — Durham School Services, ECS Transportation, and Elite Limo — for their support during graduation season. Collectively, over 525 graduating seniors and more than 100 additional students, staff, and families were transported safely to and from events celebrating our Class of 2025.

Grants

As the fiscal year closes, the Grants Team is focused on the timely and strategic liquidation of all FY25 grant funds by June 30, 2025. Collaboration with schools and departments is ongoing to ensure all expenditures align with approved budgets and meet compliance standards.

We are also excited to report that a $50,000 grant proposal has been submitted to establish Educators Rising programs at both Brien McMahon High School and Norwalk High School. If awarded, this funding will support a formal teacher preparation pathway, including hands-on experience, dual enrollment opportunities, and mentorship for students exploring careers in education. The initiative reflects Norwalk Public Schools’ long-term vision of cultivating a diverse and sustainable educator workforce from within our own community. We look forward to sharing updates on the status of this proposal.

Humanities

The year is winding down and up at the same time. The team has concluded the literacy walkthroughs in elementary schools to benchmark Fundations work in classrooms. We are gearing up to distribute trade books for K-5 Social Studies.  In addition, there have been grade level meetings held to assist in the navigation of the new secondary resource for ELA. Finally, we are working on preparing for the Summer Institute for teachers. Teachers have begun to sign up for professional learning experiences to support their classroom pedagogy. We are looking forward to learning alongside our educators this summer.   

Mathematics/STEM

The end of the school year always brings a flurry of activities to the Curriculum department.  We have been working with math coaches to prepare for next year; we had our last coaches meeting, and have been preparing for 4 curriculum writing days once school ends where teachers and coaches interested are joining to update assessments and resources for the 25-26 school year. Also, we have been meeting with middle school science teachers in a reflective protocol to gather information about the first year of Open SciEd implementation.  We have heard about how beneficial the new curriculum has been for students, and gains in Science and Engineering Practices that were observed in the classroom. Teachers have shared that the focus on hands-on learning into more abstract concepts throughout the year has helped with student understanding and achievement. We agreed upon some adaptations to pacing for next year.

As the school year draws to a close, we are proud to highlight the many enriching STEM and marine science experiences that engaged students across Norwalk. At the Fox Run STEM Fair, high school students from the BMHS Marine Science Pathway took the lead in running hands-on learning stations, inspiring curiosity and excitement in elementary students through peer-to-peer teaching. This partnership highlights the district’s dedication to fostering a strong, continuous STEM and marine science learning experience from elementary through high school.

Several place-based learning experiences further connected students to local environments and ecosystems. Sixth grade students from West Rocks traveled to the Mystic Aquarium. Second graders from Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School participated in a salt marsh replanting project, contributing to real-world restoration efforts and gaining a deeper appreciation for coastal habitats. First and second graders from Fox Run Elementary School visited the Marine Science Academy Lab at Brien McMahon High School. BMHS ninth graders explored the unique ecology and history of Sheffield Island, while six schools came together over three days for the annual Trout Release at Silvermine Elementary School, celebrating the success of months of classroom learning and stewardship. These experiences underscore the power of hands-on, community-connected science education and reflect our continued progress in developing Norwalk’s Marine Science Pathway.

Counseling/Support Services & Workforce Development

The Superintendents’ Student Council cohorts have been hard at work on their end-of-year projects. The Club & Activities and College and Career Readiness Cohorts had an opportunity to present their project to some high school assistant principals and school counselors. The focus of their work was to increase scholar awareness and engagement. The Multi-System Tag Committee continues to meet to identify scholars and families in need of Tier 3 support through grant funding. School Counselor Summer Professional Development is being planned for June. Summer preparation work is underway for the Class of 2026 Transcript Review by School Counselors as well.

The Governor’s Workforce Committee Meeting was attended via Zoom to learn the quarterly CT state updates relative to Workforce Development. The Family Center celebrated their NPS Internship Program interns with a Thank You gathering. Intern site visits are underway to expand our NPS Internship Program placements and offerings for next year. We continue to meet with our CT State Norwalk partners to develop our Certification Course Catalog offerings for Fall 2025. On June 17, Norwalk ACTS will be offering their Day of Training for all Adults who are serving youth to be trained in the areas of mental health and wellness. For all NPS Workforce Development Opportunities and more, visit www.norwalkps.org/careertraining. Please be sure to bookmark the site and check back regularly for new and exciting opportunities! 

Specialized Learning

Project Search held their end of year ceremony on 6/10/25. Eight students received their certificates of completion, diplomas, and a small gift.  Friends and families, as well as leadership from Norwalk Public Schools, Nuvance Health, CTState Norwalk, DDS, BRS, and Ability Beyond were all in attendance to celebrate the many accomplishments of our Project Search Interns.  A similar ceremony will be held on June 13 for Norwalk Next Steps Students who are aging out (age 22), or who are moving on to complete their final year at Project Search.

Enterprise Software/Data

End-of-Year Processes Underway

We've begun wrap-up procedures across all major software platforms and are building data integrations for newly adopted systems to ensure a seamless transition into the new school year.

• NWEA Spring Term Demographics – Demographic reports have been compiled and shared with the Testing & Accountability team.
• Edgenuity Updates – Daily system updates are being performed to finalize students’ credit records.
• Application Focus for New Year – We are prioritizing updates and issue resolutions in Upchieve, Ellevation, and Naviance.

Digital Learning

Coaches are supporting the Google Migration and are deeply involved in summer PD planning.

Future Ready Program

100% of eligible graduates from Virtual Academy will graduate in June or August, or have already graduated in January!

Twilight Academy and NAOP

As another school year concludes, our team proudly reflects on all that we have accomplished together. At the program's inception, teachers and administrators from across the district united under the Future Ready umbrella to create a unique learning environment—one that offers students an alternative to the traditional school setting.

At Twilight Academy, students found more than just a place to learn—they found a supportive, caring staff dedicated to addressing their individual needs. This nurturing atmosphere played a vital role in helping students thrive both academically and personally. Twilight Academy has made a meaningful impact, not only in the lives of its students but also in strengthening the district’s overall graduation rates.

We began the year by celebrating the graduation of seven Twilight students, who proudly received their diplomas and stepped into the next exciting chapter of their lives. Now, as we approach the June and August ceremonies, we look forward to honoring 26 more Twilight students as they join their peers in this significant milestone. Additionally, we’re thrilled to recognize two of our NAOP students who have also earned enough credits to graduate this week.

We are incredibly proud of all our students and their achievements. As I prepare to transition out of the Future Ready Program, I know I will deeply miss each and every one of them. Their resilience and growth have been an inspiration, and it has been an honor to be part of their journey.

Library Media Services

Many of our Library Media Specialists participated in Carver’s Technovation Afterschool program. As part of the global Technovation program, students were challenged to identify a problem facing the world and design a tech-based solution. One example involves a team of talented girls from Fox Run who chose to address the issue of peer pressure among teens. Using artificial intelligence and app development tools, they created a prototype designed to support young people in making confident, healthy choices. Take a look at their incredible work: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lfH8MJlm49kn-jEqAo_tTJXPIoiHlLNLhzW9DhagmeA/edit?usp=sharing

Mrs. Payton-Roby was nominated and selected for the CT Association of School Librarians’ (CASL) Administrators Award. This award recognizes an administrator who has demonstrated exceptional support for improving media services within their school/district. The award acknowledges the recipient's dedication to providing encouragement and advocating for adequate resources to support the program's success and advancement.

"The CASL Administrator's Award is a testament to the outstanding leadership and unwavering support this administrator has provided to their school library program," stated Jenny Lussier, President of CASL. The ceremony will take place in November.

Payroll

The Payroll team is continuing efforts to prepare for summer payroll transitions, year-end processing, and future integration with the UKG time and attendance system. These preparations are aimed at improving accuracy and alignment across varied pay schedules. Additional updates will follow as new initiatives come online.

Budget

The Budget team is continuing to refine salary and benefit projections for the 2025–26 fiscal year. Work includes updating salary forecast models, processing data changes for new hires, transfers, and salary adjustments in the financial system. Position Control Number (PCN) maintenance is ongoing.

The team is also actively updating general ledger summaries and meeting with schools and departments to discuss remaining 2024–25 spending. A full-year local funding forecast is in development. Additionally, the team continues to process journal entries, budget transfers, and special education invoices.

Grants

The Grants team is strategically shifting local expenses to available grants to help offset increases in the 2025–26 budget. This includes collaboration with Special Education and Curriculum teams to map out use of the Stronger Connection Grant for special education support.

The Behavioral Health Grant has been successfully finalized, with a full drawdown of $705,841.75. The team is also partnering with all schools on Educational Support for Homeless (ESH) and Title I funding, reviewing general ledgers to monitor current spending and ensure alignment with budget goals.

Purchasing & Accounts Payable

The implementation and configuration of the Tyler Technologies/Munis eProcurement module is scheduled for next Tuesday. Once live, this module will allow users to connect requisitions and purchase orders directly to vendor platforms with real-time transaction tracking within Munis. This enhancement is expected to improve purchasing efficiency and data transparency across departments.

Capital

The Capital team updated the quarterly Capital Projects Cash Flow Estimate for submission to the City of Norwalk’s Finance Department. This involved collaboration with various project teams to forecast future spending and expenses. Updates were also made to general ledger summaries for the South Norwalk and Norwalk High School Capital Projects. The team resolved several technical errors originating from legal reviews and processed multiple invoices for ongoing capital efforts.

HR

Human Resources is reviewing and making the necessary updates to educator assignment information within the Educator Data System (EDS) to reflect all 2024-25 data accurately. The EDS 2024-25 data is being prepared for certification and archival into the state’s database. 

Human Resources collaborated with CO education administrators to finalize the staff assignments for the Summer Academy K-4, ESY Summer, high school MLL and Credit Recovery, as well as Twilight summer programs. Timely notifications of assignment details have been sent out to all employees working this summer to ensure high coordination and adequate preparation before the start of summer programs.

HRIS

HRIS has compiled certified staff evaluation data in collaboration with Leadership Development to monitor evaluation completion progress at all schools. As the end of the evaluation cycle approaches, we are preparing for the finalization of 2024-25 and rollover into the 2025-26 evaluation cycle.