Board Update: June 27, 2025

Testing & Accountability 

Students in grades K-3 take DIBELS8, a measure of early literacy skills, throughout the year. In fall 2024, across grades K-3, 54.8% of students were at/above the DIBELS8 benchmark. By spring 2025,65% of students met the benchmark, a gain of 10.2 percentage points. Between Fall and Spring, High Needs students moved up 7.2 points from 44.7% at benchmark to 51.9%. 39.2% of MLL students met the spring benchmark compared to 29% in the fall, a gain of 10.2 percentage points.   

This spring, NWEA MAP testing was only administered to students in grades K-2. This was done to reduce the amount of spring testing and allow students to focus on the required State testing. The district continues to monitor achievement and focuses on increasing the percentage of students who are above the 60th percentile, based on NWEA national norms. 50.2% of students in grades K-2 who took spring NWEA math were above the 60th percentile. 37.6% were above the 60th percentile in reading.  

School Quality Review (SQR)  

School leaders and staff have worked tirelessly to demonstrate growth across all 10 indicators of the NPS School Quality Review Rubric, most notably in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, also known as the instructional core! These areas are crucial to student achievement and decreasing the achievement gap.  

Kudos to the instructional leaders and staff who have demonstrated growth and implemented this heavy lift!  

Research & Analytics 

Calculations of school improvement goals metrics are underway, while planning for next year’s equity goals is starting. Smarter balanced data is now loaded into the principal’s data dashboard, so school leaders can evaluate end of year progress and start the cycle of improvement over the summer. Quantitative analysis of the articulation process for advanced math, algebra 1, and honors math is taking place.

Coaches - Curriculum Writing

Secondary coaches and the district team met to organize documents for the new unit plans for the ELA curriculum for the 25-26 school year. Grades 6-8 have the first two units already completed and loaded into the StudySync platform. The high school coaches are working through grades 9-11 and will aim to have the first two units completed by the end of next week. The coaches will continue prepping materials to help teachers have a smooth transition and will assist in the Summer Institute professional development days in July and August. 

Summer Leadership Retreat

The Leadership team in collaboration with various departments are planning for the upcoming summer leadership retreat in July which is the official kick off of the 2025-2026 school year.  The summer leadership retreat is an opportune time for principals, assistant principals and coaches to engage in learning that will prepare them to lead the district’s priorities around the next phase of the rollout of the NPS Portrait of a Graduate, the district’s PreK-12 Literacy Vision, School Improvement and how this work will be led with an equity focus.

Food Services 

We’re excited to share that our Summer Meals Program will officially kick off next week, ensuring that our students stay nourished and energized throughout the season! 

A big thank you to the Norwalk Common Council and Norwalk Public Schools for their continued support and for making it possible to add a brand-new refrigerated truck to the Food Service Department. This incredible addition will enhance our ability to safely deliver fresh, nutritious meals to our community all summer long. The truck is expected to arrive This week. 

In addition, Norwalk Public Schools, Chartwells and the Norwalk Food Alliance have teamed up to launch our Summer Meal Spotlight initiative, which will highlight different meal sites throughout the summer. These spotlights showcase key locations like Cranbury Elementary School, sharing important details such as service dates, mealtimes, and eligibility. They are designed to increase awareness, boost participation, and celebrate the hard work of staff at each location. Flyers will be posted throughout the community to ensure access to information.  

School Safety 

Summer School safety protocols were reviewed with summer school administrators and staff on June 24 and June 25. All summer school staff working in schools other than their home school have been added to our RAPTOR Emergency Alert system. There will be an Evacuation Drill and a LOCKDOWN drill during the first week of Summer School. 2024-25 Safety Drill Compliance Reports have been compiled and submitted to the State. We are 100 percent compliant! 

We are in the process of Partnering with NPD to include the FLOCK system into our visual security surveillance systems at all schools and buildings. The FLOCK system reads license plates and can recognize vehicle characteristics which can aid police in identifying threats to our school community. The system is already in place in Norwalk and all over the country. We are currently testing the resolution capability and existing camera placement. 

Health Services 

For the school year 2024-25, NPS school nurses assessed: 

• 20,731 student visits regarding injuries 
• 41,696 student visits regarding health concerns, and provided 
• 10,469 student medication administrations, and 
• 20,654 student vision, hearing, scoliosis, and/or BMI screenings 

NCHC collaborated with NPS to create the “Break the Bullying” campaign, with the goal of elevating national awareness around bullying and offering a direct path to support those in need. As part of the initiative, striking billboards have been installed throughout the city of Norwalk as well as the creation of a youth-driven website, breakthebullying.com, featuring powerful peer-created videos. The listed phone number connects directly to their School-Based Health Center’s Health Administrative Coordinator to expedite access to therapeutic services. 

NCHC has also selected 4 BMHS student candidates for their Empowered Minds internship program taking place this summer. Following their training, the students will lead a 5-week peer group focused on anxiety and coping skills, held once a week and attended by 8–10 peers. 

This initiative was inspired by feedback from our School-Based Health Centers, where students expressed the need for more strategies to manage stress and anxiety. 

Humanities

A group of teachers and coaches have come together to revise the K-5 curriculum. There is a shift to a 10 day focus in each of the units. Writers are working on creating instructional guidance that is grounded in our HQIM and the POG. We are also working on the distribution of materials for SS for the fall for grades K-5. In addition we supported the Summer academy orientation for K-4 educators.  We continue to work on developing professional learning for July and August.  

Mathematics/STEM

Summer is a time of extended learning, planning and preparation for the Marine Science Pathway. Marine science educators are working collaboratively to refine existing and identify new learning opportunities for both staff and students. We are continuing to grow and develop curriculum and community engagement this summer through review, revision, and addition to our existing curriculum and activities. Meanwhile, some of our students are engaging in summer learning with the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Stay tuned for exciting updates!

https://www.maritimeaquarium.org/camps
 

Curricula revisions for mathematics have been underway!  A group of high school teachers has been working on revamping the Algebra 1 course with a focus on common formative assessments and integration of resources including Illustrative Math and the state Model Algebra 1 curriculum.  Revisions for grades 3-5 and middle school Algebra 1 have also been the focus of teachers and coaches the last few weeks. Over the summer, middle school common core and accelerated courses will also be updated and revised.  

Multilingual Learners 

The Multilingual Learner department is gearing up for another year of the Multilingual Learner Accelerated Summer program. This program offers Multilingual Learners the opportunity to earn credits toward graduation requirements over the summer. We are excited to offer our MLL scholars this opportunity which will take place at Brien McMahon High School.  Anyone looking for additional information may reach out to the MLL department at the contact information in the flyer below. 

Specialized Learning

The Specialized Learning Department held professional learning for all Extended School Year Staff on June 24 and June 25. Special education teachers, related service providers, paraeducators, and registered behavior technicians joined at Brien McMahon High School to learn about logistics of the program and also about the collaboration with the Maritime Aquarium for the summer. The staff then had the opportunity to go to their buildings and begin prepping for their students arrival on Monday. We are looking forward to a productive and successful summer learning experience for our students.  
 

Infrastructure - Technology

The Technology team has been working to ensure all necessary devices are prepared and fully operational for both Summer School and ESY programs. This includes comprehensive checks, necessary updates, and staging of equipment to support uninterrupted learning. Looking ahead to the main school year, next week marks the beginning of a significant effort to repair and update all existing Chromebooks. Concurrently, the team will commence the deployment of new devices across the district, ensuring that our students and staff have access to modern, reliable technology for the 2025-26 school year.

In other key infrastructure news, progress continues steadily on our district-wide transition to Google Workspace. The technical aspects of this migration are proceeding as planned, laying the groundwork for enhanced collaboration and efficiency across our digital platforms.

Digital Learning

Our Digital Learning Coaches are playing a pivotal role in supporting the ongoing Google Migration, providing essential assistance and guidance to staff as they adapt to the new environment. Beyond migration support, the coaches are deeply engaged in planning for our professional development (PD) for 2025-26. This includes several key components designed to empower our educators:

• Dedicated Staff Help Desk: A specialized help desk is being established to provide immediate and ongoing support for staff during the Google Migration and throughout their digital learning endeavors.(Summer 2025)

• New Resource Website: A new website is under development, designed to serve as a centralized hub for all digital learning resources, tutorials, and best practices, making it easier for teachers to access the support they need.

• Strategic Professional Learning: Extensive planning is underway for a series of professional learning opportunities throughout the next school year. These sessions will be tailored to support teachers in effectively integrating digital tools and strategies into their instruction, fostering innovative and engaging learning experiences for our students.

We are committed to providing a seamless and supportive technological environment for our entire district and are confident that these ongoing efforts will significantly enhance our educational capabilities.

Payroll/Benefits

Open Enrollment has officially closed for the 2025–2026 school year. The Benefits team is now shifting its focus to planning a wellness health fair for Cigna members. More details about the event will be shared in the coming weeks.

On the payroll side, the team is currently focused on launching summer school payroll operations and preparing database updates for the upcoming school year.

Budget

The Budget team continues to support the district’s financial planning efforts. General ledger summaries for both schools and departments are being updated, and meetings have been held to discuss year-end transfers and remaining 2024–2025 spending. The team is also working with departments to close out purchase orders, process special education invoices, and manage districtwide journal entries and budget transfers.

Efforts also continue in support of the 2025–2026 budget, ensuring accurate forecasting and adjustments as new information becomes available.

Grants

This week, the Grants team successfully reconciled the 2025–2026 budget, which included reinstating positions that had initially been eliminated. These updates were made in response to shifts following the final Board of Education meeting. The team worked diligently to complete the necessary changes.

In addition, the team helped launch the Summer School Professional Development and orientation program, presenting payroll procedures and financial expectations in collaboration with the broader summer school team.

As part of the year-end closeout process, the team reviewed and closed numerous purchase orders, conducting a thorough reconciliation of all open POs for the 2024–2025 school year to ensure accurate and timely financial management.

Purchasing & Accounts Payable

Purchasing and Accounts Payable continues to support departments with fiscal year-end responsibilities, including final purchase order processing, vendor follow-up, and ensuring compliance with closeout deadlines. Further updates will be provided as closeout efforts conclude.

Capital

This week, the Capital team received the final payment for the Naramake Cafeteria Project, marking the successful financial closeout of that initiative. In preparation for a new fund request, general ledger summaries for the full duration of both the South Norwalk and Norwalk High School capital projects were submitted to the project manager.

The team also continued its regular operations—processing invoices, reconciling accounts, and ensuring that financial records for capital projects remain current and accurate.