8/12/19 School Board Meeting Guide

The board didn’t make any important decisions at last night’s meeting, but they did receive a number of presentations that will be of interest to many in the community:

School Start Time Task Force

The group exploring possible changes to school start times presented data on the extent of the problem of student sleepiness, myths about adolescent sleep, evidence-based solutions to the problem, and next steps for the task force. Watch here; presentation slides available here. See my post Let’s Talk About School Start Times for background on this issue.

New Elementary School Report Cards

The district unveiled new, simplified report cards for elementary school that are 1) better aligned to the standards being used in the classroom, and 2) put greater emphasis on personalized feedback about student progress. The new report cards will be rolling out this coming school year, along with new trimester reporting periods that replace the quarterly system. Watch here; presentation slides (including report card mockups) available here. There will be a series of parent information sessions on this topic over the fall.

New Computer System for Managing Students & Grades

The old HAC system that students and parents have used to access grades and other information is being replaced. The new system is called PowerSchool. As a parent, I can say almost anything will be better than the old system! All district parents will receive information about PowerSchool by mail starting later this week. The system will go live August 19th.

Full Day Kindergarten Update

The board received a short report on the first year of full day kindergarten in East Penn. The data, while limited, shows improved student learning and growing satisfaction among parents and teachers with the change. Presentation slides available here. You can also check out the many posts and videos I’ve made on this topic.


(Note that the meeting recording was interrupted about halfway through by an electrical problem. That’s why the last two items above don’t include links to watch for yourself)

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