Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Warren City Schools Superintendent Steve Chiaro speaks to students in fourth-grade math teacher Tina Noble’s class at Jefferson PK-8 School on Thursday. Chiaro said the district is making changes to bring its overall state report card score back to three stars or better, after it fell to 2.5 stars this year.

WARREN — School district officials are making strategic efforts to rise from a 2.5-star rating to 3 stars on the state report card, according to Superintendent Steve Chiaro.

While the district fell short of its goal this year, administrators are optimistic that recent shifts in instruction and student engagement will help close the gap.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t hit three stars this year, but we see bright spots that show it’s within reach,” Chiaro said. “It’s an expectation that we get there, and we just need to do better.”

One area of focus for improvement is early literacy, where the district has seen positive trends. Executive Director of Curriculum Regina Teutsch highlighted a three-year upward trend, noting, “We saw two buildings very close to moving from a two-star to a three-star rating in literacy. While we didn’t get there this year, the trajectory is encouraging.”

The district’s commitment to literacy began in 2019, with the adoption of the “science of reading” model, well before it became a state mandate.

“We’ve been engaging teachers in literacy instruction for professional development since then,” Teutsch said, emphasizing the district’s proactive approach.

Along with early literacy, the district is zeroing in on consistency and structure across all classrooms. Chiaro stressed the importance of a unified system, stating, “We want students to see consistent expectations, regardless of which classroom or grade they’re in. Children gravitate toward structure, especially when it creates a safe academic environment where they feel comfortable taking risks.”

Wendy Hartzell, chief academic officer, pointed out that ongoing classroom observations, or “instructional rounds,” are part of their improvement strategy.

“Our administrators have put in over 60 hours of instructional rounds since the start of the school year. It’s about raising expectations for everyone … students, teachers, families, and ourselves,” she said.

These rounds focus on identifying areas for growth, providing feedback, and monitoring progress.

A core part of the district’s efforts includes the integration of explicit instruction and a focus on student engagement.

“It’s like riding a bike … the more you practice, the more proficient you become. The same applies to learning,” Hartzell said.

Teachers are encouraged to create structured, collaborative learning environments that allow students to practice skills in various contexts.

While the district works to improve instruction and literacy, officials also plan to address other areas, such as student graduation rates.

“We’re monitoring graduation rates closely,” Chiaro said. “We’ve implemented a ‘ninth period’ to help students who need to remediate a course they’ve failed, not only to pass the course, but to perform better on state assessments.”

Looking ahead, the district is optimistic about making strides by 2025.

“We want to see continued improvement in the data behind the stars,” Chiaro said. “We know the work we’re doing is yielding progress, and we’re committed to pushing beyond where we are now to meet or exceed our goals.”

Though the road to improvement is challenging, Warren City Schools remain focused on data-driven strategies and a commitment to providing a consistent and supportive learning environment for all students, he said.