Board Update: Mar 21, 2025

Testing & Accountability

The Testing Office continues to support schools as they prepare for State testing. CT-SAT will be given to grade 11 students on April 3. On March 7, high school Next Generation Science (NGSS) Building Test Coordinators (BTC) received their mandatory training. After the training, BTC’s received NGSS resources and a presentation to turnkey to all school proctors. This insures consistent training for all.  The state assessment test engine (TIDE) delivers online accommodations/supports to students based on state guidelines. It is populated by CT-SEDS and also by the Testing Office. School teams are required to review student supports in TIDE and provide a practice session for students before live testing. This is a team effort that involves regular education teachers, special education teachers and MLL teachers. The Testing Office and BTCs carefully monitor test security during live testing.

School Quality Review (SQR)

Norwalk Public Schools is in the fourth year of a process called a School Quality Review (SQR), that produces additional data points for focused school improvement. The next school receiving an SQR will be Ponus Ridge STEAM Middle School on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25-26, 2025.

Research & Analytics

The final Grade 9 On-track collaborative of the year was held in partnership with Connecticut RISE Network. During this session, representatives from all high schools, including Assistant Principals, Counselors, and Teachers, examined district wide data, discussed strategies for supporting specific students through case studies, and reflected on the positive impacts made through change ideas they’ve implemented to ensure more students complete grade 9 having earned at least six credits.

Data Leads from elementary and middle schools gathered for the second time this year to share data practices that have driven positive outcomes, build understanding of adjustments that have been made to School Improvement goals and gain skills in accessing and analyzing assessment data for target students. Data Leads built more skill in using both Otus and the data dashboards.  

Elementary school math articulation data was organized for each school to make recommendations for their outgoing 5^th graders. A new streamlined data process will facilitate the recommendation and the distribution of data to middle schools.

Scientific research-based intervention meetings have been occurring with improvement teachers at each school. We have used new visualizations on the dashboard to highlight student growth percentiles, which align with the state accountability system, and discuss DESSA data.

The March Norwalk ACTS convening will be focusing on data.

Student Information System

The Elementary Lottery has been run and families were notified on March 11, 2025.  The deadline for responses is March 28, 2025.

Middle School Coaches’ Curriculum On-Ramp

On March 20, the middle school literacy coaches participated in a Coaches’ On-Ramp, a professional learning session focused on unit and lesson internalization to enhance teacher planning and student learning outcomes in partnership with our colleagues from TNTP. This session deepened the literacy coaches' ability to support teachers in designing cohesive, standards-aligned instruction, ensuring students engage with rigorous and meaningful learning experiences.

Mid-Year Conferences for Principals

Executive Directors of Leadership Development have completed mid-year conferences with principals under the new evaluation plan. During these conferences principals shared their leadership reflections, the progress they are making towards achieving their leadership goals, shared artifacts that show evidence of their practice and identified next steps for meeting their goals.  In addition, we reviewed mid-year data for the schools and did a progress monitor check on each of the school’s School Improvement Plans.   

District Wide Learning Walks

On March 25th and March 27 we will be conducting our final district wide learning walk for the 2024-25 school year.  We will begin our day as a whole team at Brien McMahon High School before heading off in smaller groups to Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School, Silvermine Elementary School, Tracey Elementary School, P-Tech High School, and Wolfpit Elementary School. We are excited to see the growth that our leaders and educators are making with our instructional priorities around standards-based instruction and engaging students in critical thinking which is in alignment with the NPS Portrait of a Graduate.

Food Services

This week to bring in the warmer weather our FFVP schools will be enjoying small bite size sweet peppers and sweet yummy peaches. Mrs. Kelly shares all the benefits for our students in the learning and tasting videos.

Ponus Ridge 2^nd annual STEAM Day cook off to showcase our students’ creativity, teamwork, and culinary skills will be held Monday, March 24 at 8:30 a.m.! Special judges include our very own Mayor Rilling!

Come enjoy Global Eats: Korea – March 19 at our secondary schools! Experience the flavors of Korea with our special Global Eats menu, Bulgogi Chicken tacos! Don’t miss out on his delicious cultural food experience.

Also Love it or Lose it will take place at Nathan Hale on March 21- ^taste, decide, and share your thoughts! Join us at Nathan Hale and let us know what stays on the menu. At Sono and Concord schools on March 18, there was a Mood Boost pop up! The mood was CALM.  Lucky tray day was on March 19 and students found a lucky sticker on their tray and won a fun surprise! Finally, a favorite for any age is to enjoy a tasty brunch meal for lunch, ask about it on March 27 at every level.

The School Nutrition Association CT went to Capital Hill in Washington, D.C.! This advocacy is hopefully gaining traction; after meeting with Jahana Hayes, the Congresswoman reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson. Congresswoman Hayes is defending the SNAP and the Farm Bill addressing two of the initiatives we discussed in our meeting on Tuesday March 11.

Jill Kress joins the efforts to advocate in favor of CEP

Congressman Himes

Facilities

Fox Run: The Connecticut Administrative Services provided written approval on March 18, to proceed with the bidding and procurement phase surrounding the Asbestos Abatement planned for this summer. This project is on schedule to be completed by mid-August.

School Safety

In February, the School Safety Team was interviewed and quoted for a CT Insider story on the importance of developing district and school safety plans and the role the plans play in creating a culture of safety for students and staff.

You can read the full story below.

Nearly 30 CT school districts failed to comply with safety mandate

Nearly 30 CT school districts failed to comply with safety mandate.pdf

Transportation

At the March 18 Monthly Board business meeting, the Board unanimously voted to continue our partnership with Durham School Services through June 30, 2028.   Durham continues to partner with Norwalk Public Schools providing transportation services to over 12k students including public, parochial, charter, magnet, vocational technical and agriculture programs.  Operating over 67 buses and 200 routes.  The contract increases for the next 3 years are just under market percentages, allowing NPS to provide services and cost savings to the district. We look forward to another 3 years with our community partner.

Our Norwalk team of mechanics has done an amazing job continuing to keep our fleet safe and compliant. They scored #2 in the East Coast region and #10 nationally with over 180 terminals being represented for service, repair and recalls. Congrats Mr. Steve Owens and team on a job well done!

Our Durham General Manager, Ms. Benita Hargett has been chosen to serve on a committee of 30 professionals with varying skills, knowledge and certifications in the school bus industry to help restructure the hiring and training process for school bus drivers. The current process from hire to behind the wheel is approximately three to five months. Durham is working on creating a new process to fast-track applicants to drivers. This is in an effort to answer the need of school bus drivers that is still a national issue. Congrats Benita and thank you for representing Norwalk!

Health Services

In consideration of the Measles outbreak in other parts of the country, and in an effort to be proactive, SHS continues to closely surveil and address student immunization compliance. Reports have been compiled for students at risk should further follow-up be necessary.

Download Infographic Here

For professional development, school nurses will participate in a presentation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA on March 20.

On March 19, SHS participated in the Norwalk Community Health Center (NCHC) Community Advisory Committee quarterly meeting to discuss the status of operations, ongoing projects, and to review data. In addition to providing physical and behavioral health services to students at Ponus/CMS, BMHS/CGS, and at the Family Center Health and Wellness Center, NCHC continues to move forward with their Wellness Campaign and Anti-Bullying Campaign at Ponus/CMS and Family Center Health and Wellness Center, respectively.

NCHC reports that over 85 percent of the students seen at their school-based health centers returned to class, effectively addressing their health needs and enabling them to complete the school day.

Grants

Last week, the Grants Team had a successful Middle of Year Alliance and Priority School District monitoring meeting with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE). We reviewed academic, discipline, and attendance data alongside implementation updates for the grant. It was an incredibly productive meeting, and we’re proud to share that the State gave NPS high marks for being thorough and well-prepared.

As we look ahead, we’re working closely with schools to continue allocating grant funding for FY26, ensuring resources are directed where they’re most needed to support student success.

We were also thrilled to highlight our partnership with the Arthur Miller Foundation at the March 18 Board Business meeting. This collaboration has brought meaningful professional development, essential materials for productions, and year-long mentorship from seasoned theatre educators to our theatre and dance teachers — strengthening arts education across our district.

Humanities

The Social Studies department prioritizes historical inquiry and critical thinking by engaging students with authentic primary sources. Our middle school teachers recently participated in an immersive document analysis activity centered on the environmental and political debate surrounding dam development in the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

As part of this inquiry, teachers examined historical records from Congress, including petitions, resolutions, and telegrams sent to the U.S. Senate. Through analyzing these primary sources, educators explored key themes such as federal land use, environmental conservation, and balancing public needs and natural preservation.

This professional learning experience reflects our department’s commitment to fostering civic literacy, evidence-based argumentation, and historical perspective-taking in the classroom. By engaging in inquiry-based activities themselves, teachers are better equipped to guide students in developing critical thinking skills and understanding the complexities of democratic decision-making.

In World Language and Business, teachers worked on digging into the standards and aligning their instruction.  Time was spent on reviewing resources that will best serve our students so that they can continue to develop their critical thinking skills.  

In 6-12 Literacy, opportunities with publishers were available to discuss the materials provided in the resources. Coaches and Central Staff attended these meetings as we continued to vet available resources that are aligned to the K-12 Vision of Literacy.  

Mathematics/STEM

Last week the STEM middle school teachers participated in a professional learning session to support them in several different areas, all centered around the theme of systematic preparation for end of year assessment within daily instructional practices.  This systematic preparation includes embedding retrieval practice and aligned questions into the daily curriculum while utilizing tools meant to prepare teachers and students with practice around interface and how questions are structured.  The lens of student engagement is one that was present within each of the disciplines. Math teachers and coaches met at Nathan Hale middle school, science teachers met at West Rocks, and Physical Education teachers met virtually. Key district personnel were leveraged in order to allow for specific sessions, including the Nathan Hale math coach, the Marine Science Coordinator, and the Assistant Education Administrator for STEM.  This week we are preparing for high school educators with the same themes and involving additional NPS staff members. 

Students from Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School traveled to “iFLY” for an engaging and interactive STEM experience. Students were able to actively “fly” in a wind tunnel and took part in a STEM lesson that explored the science behind skydiving. 

Multilingual Learners

The MLL Curriculum Sub-Committee of the Board of Education is meeting on Thursday, March 20th, 2025, at 6:00pm via Videoconference.

TO WATCH LIVESTREAM ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9LWomxX4LEEyBL2pTOqBw

The Family Center is still collecting donations for new or gently worn suits!  Please see the information below and drop off at the Family Center.

School Counseling

The School Counselors continuously update the Junior Survey data through their RISE platform. This offers a lens into our Class of 2026 and what they may want their Post-Secondary plan to look like, come senior year. This further enables our Juniors scholars to think about their action items toward their goals and informs school counselors on how best to support their post-secondary plan. The central office Mental Health & Wellness leads were invited panelists for Social Emotional Learning Day at Central Connecticut State University to share the ongoing work at Norwalk Public Schools. Our College & Career Specialists continue to support our scholars and families with financial aid programming. “Norwalk Helps” has been created as a one-stop shop for mental health and wellness resources for all our stakeholders, including other communities, as it is a free and open website resource. School counselors had the opportunity to attend a professional development session on self-awareness and middle school counselors participated in a high school credit workshop. The district attendance team continues to meet and support the schools with districtwide attendance tools.

The RISE Grade 9 Collaborative had its final meeting of the year.

Workforce Development

The NPS Internship Program is still reviewing applications for scholars interested in pursuing an internship opportunity. The Maritime Aquarium hosted a Career in Manufacturing Event for Grades 8 - 12! There is an upcoming Women in Sports and Business Live Zoom Event for Grades 6 – 12 on Monday, March 24th at 9 am. If you are interested in attending, please register Here. There is also an upcoming Virtual Technology Career Expo for scholars who are 16+. Scholars will learn about five in-demand tech careers, chat live with industry professionals, and discover pathways to education, training, and certifications. The virtual event will take place on March 28th at 9 am. If you are interested in attending, please register Here. A Workforce Development Workshop was hosted for juniors and seniors at Norwalk High School and P-TECH Norwalk, where scholars learned all about the NPS Workforce Development website tool. They also explored the areas of Apprenticeships, Trades, Training, Internships, and Job Opportunities. 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! 

The Red Fashion School hosted its Spring Fashion show at the SoNo Collection Mall, where scholars showcased their original clothing and scholar models honed their craft. If you are interested in learning more about the Red Fashion School and what they have to offer, please visit https://redfashion.school/

Specialized Learning

 The Specialized learning will hold its Specialized Learning Subcommittee meeting on Tuesday March 18, 2025 virtually.  The team will discuss Extended School year (ESY) Programming.  

We are also planning our New Teacher Academy for new specialized learning staff which will take place on March 25, 2025 where the topic will be on IEP Compliance.  

Our Light It Up Blue Autism Awareness Event will take place April 1, 2025 on the Green at 6:30 pm.  We hope to see you there!!  

We are hosting 2 professional development sessions for Middle and High School Special Education Staff. Leah Pavone from the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services has already met with Middle School Staff, and will be meeting with High School staff this week. She provided training on Transition Services which begin after a student’s 13th birthday.  She reviewed a variety of services that BRS provides, as well as shed some light on implementing Transition Services appropriately for all students with IEPs, not just those with higher levels of need.

SRBI

We have been going through the schools for our Middle Of the Year data meetings.  We have been reviewing middle of the year data and assessing where schools are at.  We are looking at academics and social emotional screeners.

Middle school improvement teachers were able to be trained on Khanmigo.  This resource  was introduced to support students and lessons.  It has many features embedded in to help all learners.  All improvement staff had a half day professional development focusing on data, assessment and social emotional support.

Also we have been focused on implementation walk-throughs to support FUNdations and Heggerty.  We have been modeling lessons.  Students have been using more of the resources on their own and we are working on using the manipulatives throughout the lesson.

Enterprise Software/Data

Student information has been provided to the Norwalk Public Library as part of our ongoing effort to ensure all students have access to local library cards. This marks the second installment of shared records for the 2024-25 school year.

Earlier this month, we had an additional discussion with the vendor SORA to gain a deeper understanding of e-books and how their integration aligns with NPS classrooms. While SORA does not provide curriculum-specific e-books, it offers supplemental titles that support the curriculum. We continue to explore this platform to ensure our district fully benefits from the advantages of e-books.

Our team is working closely with the Communications team to develop an AI support assistant for the NPS public website. Research and development are ongoing, with the next step being a soft launch targeting specific departments for feedback and testing.

Infrastructure/Operations

We continue to reset insecure passwords weekly, and the number of insecure passwords has dropped dramatically. Based on data collected over the past few weeks, we are looking to update our current password policy.

Digital Learning

Our digital learning coaches have been providing AI training to central office staff and will support our building leaders in AI professional development at the upcoming building leaders' meeting.

Library Media & AI Committee

The AI advisory board has completed teacher and student guidelines, which were shared with building leadership this week. These guidelines will be shared with staff and students over the next few weeks.

FRP - Twilight

Darlene Young, the Youth Services Program Director, met with Twilight students last week. She will continue visiting every other week to provide students with valuable information on continuing education, technical training, and job opportunities. During this visit, she met with 12 students and plans to meet with more next week. We welcome the continued collaborative support from Norwalk Youth Services, which remains a vital resource for our students now and in the future.

Payroll

The Payroll team is preparing for the Go-Live of UKG on April 12. New employee badges are being distributed to schools, along with help guides and documentation to support both staff and administrators. Support resources for UKG swiping and the employee portal have been uploaded to SharePoint. Additionally, informational sessions for teachers regarding CIGNA are ongoing, with the next session scheduled for March 20 at 2:30 p.m.

Budget

Budget team members continue to work closely with schools and departments to review current-year spending and analyze general ledger summaries. School-based budgeting (SBB) meetings are underway to discuss targets for the 2025-26 school year and assist schools in calculating different cost scenarios. Additionally, special education invoices are being processed, along with districtwide local budget transfers and journal entries.

Grants

The Grants team focused this week on preparing a comprehensive presentation for an all-grant review with the Superintendent, CFO, and Deputy Superintendent. Efforts also continued on reconciling the school-based budgeting process across multiple schools, collaborating with administrators to ensure adjustments and final reconciliations are completed accurately.

Purchasing/Accounts Payable

The team held its quarterly meeting with Amazon to review account status, update user groups, and clean up the member access list. Amazon has agreed to waive the prime business membership fee for the next fiscal year, resulting in a savings of $1,000. Additionally, discussions took place with the City of Norwalk representatives and the district’s natural gas energy supplier to review the current supply agreement. Current pricing remains stable year over year, with downward trends expected due to warmer weather. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for mid-May to explore one-, two-, and three-year rate options.

Capital

The Capital team is working closely with Project Managers to prepare for the April audits across multiple projects. Progress payment reconciliations for HVAC projects were completed, and multiple invoices for capital projects were processed. These efforts ensure that capital projects remain on track and aligned with budgetary expectations.