YOUNGSTOWN — The Board of Education voted to send an amended version of the district’s Academic Improvement Plan back to the Ohio Department of Education for final approval once some adjustments are made.

The board voted 6-1 to send the newest version of the improvement plan to the ODE interim Superintendent of Public Instruction Stephanie Siddens for approval. Board member Jackie Adair abstained from the vote.

The new plan must be at the Ohio Department of Education by Nov. 11.

Siddens sent the original improvement plan back to Youngstown last week, asking the district to address issues she had with how the district will deal with improving some academic scores in literacy and mathematics.

The district worked to address each of the components outlined in Siddens’ Oct. 27 letter that stated the plan’s weaknesses. Siddens, for example, wrote the plan should clearly state the district will align its literacy benchmark at all grade levels with its already existing District 11 comprehensive literacy plan.

The district added that it may hire an outside third party consultant to provide independent monitoring of the implementation of the plan.

According to the new AIP, the district is working to ensure at least 46 percent of its students achieve third- grade reading requirements by the 2024-2025 school year, which is 31 percent higher than achieved in the 2018-2019 school year.

However, the district’s long-range plans are to have more than 80 percent of its students being proficient or above by the time third-grade reading levels are measured by its students.

Siddens, as well as some local leaders, criticized the board’s original AIP, stating expected growth in the percentage of students achieving understanding of some math concepts at different grade levels were too low. The state warned the board that projected levels of understanding of specific math concepts by the 2024-25 school year as measured by required state tests should be higher than they were in the 2018-19 school year prior to the pandemic.

The board, in writing the original plan, set some levels lower than the 2018-19 school year, because during the time students were not in school buildings, the scores on some state math tests dropped significantly.

In the resubmitted AIP, the board wrote that its long term plan is to have 100 percent of Youngstown students in expected growth in age appropriate math tests to be proficient or above. The long-term plan, however, is beyond the three years being measured in this AIP.

Nearly 70 percent of Youngstown students in grades 9 -12 are expected to show command of algebra and geometry by the end of the 2024-25 school year, according to the new AIP.

Board President Ronald Shadd said what is expected to be sent to the state within the next several days will help every student in the Youngstown City School District.

“What we have in the language is we expect high expectations for all of our students,” Shadd said. “The high standards for us is to surpass the state standards.

“This plan will affect all of our students,” he said. “We want all students to show growth year over year. When they show growth we will be able to have improvement on the state tests.”

Community activist Jimma McWilson, before the meeting, criticized those leaders in the district that have low expectations for student achievement.

“We are starting a campaign to awaken parents to the low expectations expected of their children,” McWilson said. “Parents have a role, rights and responsibilities and power options. If parents don’t exercise their power options, then those who have been in power will continue to do what they have been doing.”

Parents, according to McWilson, need to provide whatever resources are available to supplement their childrens’ education.

McWilson said there is a systemic problem in providing quality education to Youngstown students that is not being addressed.

rsmith@tribtoday.com