Board Update: Sept 5, 2025

Testing & Accountability

On Aug. 28, the State Department of Education released 2025 testing results for Smarter Balanced (grades 3-8), CT-SAT (grade 11) and NGSS science results (grades 5,8, and 11). In addition. accountability indicators for performance and growth were released.  Results for districts across Connecticut are now available on Edsight public.  https://public-edsight.ct.gov/?language=en_US

Norwalk made gains in proficiency for all content areas and across subgroups and levels. Performance is close to pre-pandemic levels (2018-19). Growth for Smarter Balanced ELA and Math is above 2018-19 pre-pandemic levels. Norwalk Public Schools leadership team was recognized for 2025 results and participated in the State's press conference.

Planning is underway for fall testing. This month students will take NWEA MAP growth in reading and math at elementary and middle schools. Students in grades K-3 will take Amplify DIBELS8, a measure of early reading skills. In October students in grades 8 –11 will take College Board PSATs.

Research & Analytics

Independent school data tracking projects are underway including constructing a behavior dashboard for Tracey using Google Looker and supporting CGS in using Otus to track progress on standards.

The Principal’s data dashboard has been rolled over to the 2025-26 school year so schools can see their current student’s test scores including Smarter Balanced, NWEA, and DIBELS. Meetings with the scientific research-based intervention team have taken place to support data-driven interventions.

Professional learning sessions were facilitated for gifted and talented educators, social studies teachers, and paraprofessionals related to the Portrait of a Graduate. Work is underway to design the fall professional learning trajectory for Phase II of the Portrait of a Graduate, with an emphasis on the effective communicator competency and student self-reflection. Collaboration continues across departments to strengthen coherence and deepen the district’s focus on critical thinking and communication.

Principal Goal-Setting Meetings

In the weeks ahead, principals will participate in goal-setting meetings with their primary evaluator. These meetings are designed to provide an intentional space for reflection on leadership practice, identification of areas for continued growth, and alignment with both school and district priorities. Through this process, principals will develop individualized professional learning plans that strengthen their leadership capacity and further advance the effective implementation of our shared vision for teaching and learning.

Early Career Principal and Assistant Principal PLCs

This month, we are pleased to launch the second year of the district’s Early Career Principal Professional Learning Community (PLC), facilitated by two of our highly respected principals, Damon Lewis and Jane Wilkins. Building on the success of this initiative, we are excited to expand the model to include an Early Career Assistant Principal PLC. This new PLC will be facilitated by experienced assistant principals Evan Byron, LaShante James, and Jennifer Scanlan. Together, these communities of practice will provide early career leaders with structured opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth, ensuring they are well supported in advancing the priorities of their schools and our district.

Food Services

Free meals will be served until Oct. 8 to all students. Be sure to get your applications into Jill Kress before then.

The Food Service Department has issued over 5000 approval emails to families and still counting!

The fastest way for families to apply and to find out if families were approved is to visit  Myschoolapps.com

The  NPS Dining Services is also a great resource.

Our Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program has just acquired another $4,841.00 to add to the $99,206.24 which was originally granted to the district. $104,047.24 total in grants for the FFVP Program distributed between the four sites are Brookside, Jefferson, Marvin, and Tracey.

School Safety

The final emergency drill schedule for the SY2025-2026 has been published and schools have already begun running safety drills. Our Ambient AI system is progressing on two fronts. We continue to refine the areas and alerts at both high school buildings thus reducing false threat alerts, and we are in the area assignment phase of implementation into all our school buildings. The District Safety Team will meet weekly beginning Sept. 10 to update and finalize the SY2025-2026 building safety plans.

Our Norwalk BOE adopted the Safe School Climate Policy in July 2025 which changes the language of the previous CT bullying Law. The Safe School Climate Policy replaces our previous bullying policy. We have assembled and created our reporting, investigating, and responding forms and buildings will become familiar with the process over the next two weeks.

Connecticut-School-Climate-Guidance-2025.pdf

Thanks to the Norwalk Police Department for your partnership in a safe start to the school year! Here is a list of our School Resource Officer assignments.

Transportation

The Transportation Office scheduled over 240 bus routes servicing approximately 12,552 students (Public, Private, Parochial, VoTech, VoAg) to 24 school campuses in Norwalk and 3 school campuses in Stamford.  In addition, transportation was arranged with our Out of District carriers for over 80 students attending 26 campuses in the Fairfield/New Haven County area, as far north as Bristol, CT. 

We rolled out a new form of communication for families, it currently lives on our Transportation page via NPS website.  Families can now submit questions, concerns and bus stop requests online.  This helps us to prioritize family's needs and keep accurate data for future funding and projects. 

Health Services

School nurses have provided certified staff with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) bloodborne pathogens training. On Aug. 22, school health services provided this training to NFEP members.

School nurses are completing their beginning of the year responsibilities, including but not limited to medication management, medication training of staff, sharing health alerts to relevant staff, and ensuring public health compliance.

Three new substitute school nurses are currently in the process of orientation.

Grants

A warm welcome to Willetta Lynn Payton-Roby, our new Director of Grants!

 Humanities Update

PK-5 Literacy- Teachers across the district are establishing routines and structures for literacy in their classrooms.  Professional Learning for Coaches and grade level meetings are being finalized this week.  These learning opportunities will allow teachers to deepen their understanding of the Wonders resource and embedded instructional routines to support teacher practice. A debrief on the beginning of the year PD with TNTP took place on Aug. 8. Information from this session is used to aid in the planning of upcoming professional learning. 

Last week, teachers received trade books to support learning in SS classrooms.  There will be the development of Trade Book Inquiries later in the fall.  

Secondary Literacy: Our new curriculum in middle school and high school is up and running. Save the dates have been sent out to all teachers for their designated professional learning days for September that will provide additional support during the rollout. Our digital learning coaches are collaborating with literacy coaches to create systems that will assist teachers in planning and providing feedback to students. There was a debrief held with TNTP on Sept. 3 to review Opening Day PD and target high-leverage professional learning for upcoming opportunities. 

STEM Update

What a start to 2025-26 school year! Aug. 21 was a full day of district learning, with elementary in the morning and secondary in the afternoon. Teachers in the STEM field worked either with central office staff directly or with NPS teachers (supported by CO staff) with the focus of sharing instructional practices related to critical thinking and effective communication with their disciple lens.  

New math pacing is being implemented in grades 3-7, along with Algebra 1. These pacing changes reflect alignment toward Smarter Balanced data (3-7) and PSAT and SAT data (Algebra 1) with key foci being placed on units that are priority with both Achieve the Core and Prioritized Targets (SBA). For science, elementary schools participating in the pilot have been having collaborative meetings with CO to begin planning for training, which we anticipate happening in October.  

MLL Update

The Multilingual Learner department is preparing for the Multilingual Learner Subcommittee meeting scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. We are excited to share 25-26 school year registration information, as well as LAS Links achievements from previous school year.  

The Family Center is continuing to process registrations in a timely manner.  We currently have fewer than 100 students pending registration due to missing required documentation. The Family Center has received almost 1400 registrations for this school year!

Specialized Learning 

The Specialized Department is proud to announce that 20 Special Education Teachers will be going through the Orton Gillingham Classroom Level certification course. The Classroom Educator practitioner is certified by OGA to provide and adapt literacy instruction for the whole class or for small groups needing supplemental support. The coursework provides educators with the basic content knowledge of research-based explicit language instruction as well as the delivery of instruction aligned with Orton-Gillingham Principles. It is 30 hours in total, running over five days at City Hall.  We are excited to offer this to our special education teachers.   

Special Education Leadership attended the CTSDE Back to School Meeting on Friday Sept. 5 in Bristol, CT where they will learn updates from the state regarding special education law and attend different breakout sessions on multiple topics.   

Early Childhood Update

Our Norwalk Public Schools Prekindergarten program is built upon the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS), which affirm that young children are competent and capable learners who thrive when their basic needs are met. We are pleased to report that the children are adjusting very well to the routines and transitions of the new school year!

Our classrooms have been thoughtfully designed to create an inviting environment that aligns with the first unit of the McGraw-Hill World of Wonders curriculum, "Who We Are." In the coming weeks, our students will be engaged in activities focused on:                                                     

Literacy: Immersion in phonemic awareness and print awareness through the study of environmental sounds and print.                                                                                                 

STEM: Hands-on exploration of pumpkins using the five senses, integrating early mathematical concepts and problem-solving skills.                                                                                          

Social-Emotional Learning: Fostering independence through routines such as unpacking backpacks and engaging in structured center-based, play-based learning.

Introducing the Sparkler app to assist parents to check in on how their child is developing across key milestones from ages 2 months to 5 years old. Sparkler provides activities to spark children’s early learning. If you would like to join the Norwalk Public Schools Sparkler please use the code ECNPS. 

School Counseling and Workforce Development Update 

School Counselors have been preparing for school opening and were excited to greet their scholars for the new school year! This year, our Grade 8 scholars will join their peers in Grades 6 and 7 to receive Tier 1 Developmental Guidance Classroom Push-In Lessons focused on Social Emotional Learning. For Back to School Professional Development, our School Counselors engaged in their Moment in Time Study protocols, Professional Development needs by grade band, and years in service. The Triangle Center provided scholar and family resources, and our Silver Hill Hospital Resiliency Coach provided the teams with Self-Care and Compassion Training. Lastly, School Counselors' Collective Impacts were celebrated! Our College & Career Specialists have started the new school year by providing high school scholars with college essay support, coordinating and hosting college & university representative visits, and supporting the college application process, to name a few.

The CT State Norwalk Fall 2025 application is now live! This partnership program between CT State Norwalk and Norwalk Public Schools enables scholars to apply for a Workforce Development Course offered by CT State Norwalk; some courses lead to an industry-recognized credential. This year, our Grade 3 scholars will join their peers in Grades K-2nd to receive Tier 1 Developmental Guidance Classroom Push-In Lessons focused on Workforce Development. 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!

Enterprise Software

During the first weeks of the new school year, our team has been dedicated to supporting staff and students across Norwalk Public Schools. We have successfully addressed approximately 90% of all reported issues, ranging from password resets and onboarding of new hires to the implementation of new software and role transitions. The remaining items are non-critical but remain a priority, and we continue to provide ongoing support to ensure a smooth experience for all NPS members.

Our partnership with the Norwalk Public Library is already yielding benefits: the library has received its first data transfer of student information, allowing all students full access to lending resources and digital content.

In addition, we are preparing the initial student data files for submission to the College Board in advance of upcoming SAT and PSAT administrations.

We have also launched the new software tools and rolled out updates to existing platforms, with additional updates scheduled for the weeks ahead.

Our team remains committed to ensuring that every member of the NPS community has the resources and support needed to thrive in our digital learning environments.

Technical Support

Starting this fall, the Norwalk Board of Education meetings will stream live on Zoom only, similar to the City of Norwalk. Meetings will no longer be streamed live on YouTube. Recordings of the meetings will be uploaded to the Norwalk Public Schools YouTube channel within 48 hours.

Digital Learning Coaches

MagicSchool AI: Implementation and Leadership

Our elementary digital learning coaches recently met with a representative from MagicSchool AI to create a comprehensive implementation plan for the 2025-26 school year. This plan will support the schools that have adopted MagicSchool AI as their primary AI platform.

We are also proud to announce that two of our coaches, Stef Dean and Amanda Kennedy, have been accepted into MagicSchool AI's exclusive Pioneer Program. This honor was granted after they completed four levels of MagicSchool Certification training, demonstrating a deep understanding of the platform and its potential to benefit both educators and students. Their expertise will be invaluable as we continue to expand our use of AI in the classroom.

Innovative AI Projects

Our coaches are already leveraging their expertise to create innovative, curriculum-specific tools. Amanda Kennedy and Stefanie Dean are collaborating with Nathan Hale Literacy Coach Natalie Ellwanger to develop a Chatbot. This AI tool is designed to support coaching opportunities by streamlining the alignment of their International Baccalaureate (IB) Program with the StudySync curriculum materials, making it easier for teachers to deliver a cohesive and effective learning experience.

Another exciting project is the development of a Social Studies GPT. This tool, which incorporates the principles of The Writing Revolution, will guide fifth-grade teachers at Wolfpit Integrated Arts. The goal is to ensure consistency in pacing and curriculum requirements, helping teachers stay on track and deliver the content effectively.

Kindergarten iPad Reassignment

Finally, all elementary digital learning coaches are currently working on the reassignment of iPads for the kindergarten classes for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. This effort is crucial to ensuring every kindergartener has the technology they need from day one.

These initiatives represent our ongoing commitment to leveraging technology to improve teaching and learning. The dedication of our digital learning coaches and their innovative projects are helping us build a foundation for a more effective and dynamic educational environment.

Budget

The Budget Team has been focused on a range of detailed payroll and staffing adjustments to ensure the successful launch of the 2025–26 school year. This includes processing DLC assignments, sixth-class additions, new hires, employee transfers, and stipends. The team also provided salary research for Human Resources and reissued salary statements to employees with Hotmail email addresses to ensure accurate delivery.

General ledger summaries for both schools and departments are being updated. The team has also been auditing 2025–26 payroll accounts to verify accuracy in the Munis system. Additionally, processing continues for Special Education invoices and any final adjustments tied to new-year payroll entries.

Grants

This week, the Grants team, in partnership with the Budget Director, successfully completed the Education Financial System (EFS) State Financial Report and submitted the ED012 Statement of Expenditures Report to the State of Connecticut. These submissions included critical data from grants, and all entries were verified for accuracy and compliance.

The team also finalized all required reports in the Expenditure Grant Management System (EGMS), revised school budgets to reflect updated funding needs, and prepared General Ledger summaries for Title I carryover allocations to eligible schools.

New federal allocation amounts have been received: Title I is $4,061,423 (an increase of $16,606), Title II is $411,762 (up by $5,868), and Title III is $327,141 (up by $9,109). Additionally, the team resolved a banking issue related to ROTC reimbursements by updating records in the System for Award Management (SAM). All tasks were completed accurately and on time.

Purchasing & Accounts Payable

The Purchasing team met with the City of Norwalk and the district’s natural gas supplier to review the current energy supply agreement. As a result of the negotiation, Norwalk Public Schools secured guaranteed pricing for natural gas, effectively keeping energy costs flat for Fiscal Year 2026 across all Board of Education buildings.

Capital

This week, several capital project documents were submitted for review and sign-off by the Superintendent. The team finalized audit documentation for the West Rocks Windows Project with State Auditors, and completed reconciliation of capital construction accounts to ensure financial accuracy. Final closeout documents for the Cranbury Capital Project are being prepared for submission to the State in the coming days.