Marlington Local’s curriculum director presented the district’s state report card on Oct. 9, reporting an overall score of 3.5 — above the state standard where 3 represents meeting expectations — and highlighting strong performance in closing achievement gaps.

Curriculum Director explained the report card components and said the district earned a 4‑out‑of‑5 in achievement and a 5‑out‑of‑5 in gap closing. Early literacy received a 3‑out‑of‑5, and the new College‑Career‑Workforce‑Military Readiness (CCWMR) metric is at about 80.5%, improving from the low 20s in prior report‑only years; reaching 85% would earn a 5‑star rating in that category.

The director described steps behind the scores: adoption and staged implementation of K–6 English language arts curriculum, adopting K–6 mathematics materials, use of teacher‑based teams and student‑level data in shaping interventions, and focused professional development on assessment literacy and number sense.

She said the district has intentionally targeted chronic absenteeism and noted a recent drop from roughly the low 30s percent to about 14%, below the state threshold for chronic absenteeism. The director attributed part of the improvement to attendance incentives, frequent principal communications, and early‑year interventions: “patterns that are developed in September typically tend to replicate themselves throughout the year,” she said, noting early attention to September attendance helps prevent cumulative absences.

Board members asked about future curriculum adoptions; the director said the district currently has a five‑year commitment to Benchmark (through grade 6) and that further adoptions will be considered only if data indicate a need.

The board received the report as an informational curriculum update; no formal vote was required.