Hendry County Schools officials told a town-hall audience that the district has made measurable gains on state assessments and outlined the instructional changes they say contributed to the improvement, including monthly professional learning time, strengthened principal training and classroom instructional walks.

Liz Duncan, director of elementary education, and the district’s director of secondary education, Mr. Sanchez, described inputs behind the gains: additional half-day professional learning days on the calendar, targeted principal development, instructional rounds in classrooms and data-driven teacher collaboration. "A couple years ago, the district made the decision to incorporate half day professional learning days into the school calendar, and that really was a true game changer for us," the presenter said.

Why it matters: The district reported a 2023–24 FAST ELA proficiency rate of 44% with a goal to reach 54%; FAST math proficiency was reported at 47% with a target of 57%. Officials also listed a target to reduce incidents reported to the state school-environment safety reporting system by 10% annually.

District leaders cautioned that comparisons across years are complicated by changes in assessments and standards. Staff noted the statewide shift to more rigorous standards in 2022–23 and said growth occurred despite that transition. The presentation also cited progress on “high school acceleration” — graduates earning AP credit, dual enrollment or industry certifications — with the district tracking toward higher rates over recent years.

Discussion vs. decision: Staff presented methods and outcomes and framed the items as ongoing instructional priorities. No personnel or budgetary decisions were made at the meeting.

Clarifying details: district presenters said the district has added instructional time for teacher development, reworked principal meetings to emphasize instructional leadership rather than operations, and instituted instructional walks in which principals observe classrooms and share feedback across schools.

Ending: Officials said they will continue using professional learning, data review and leadership development as primary levers to raise proficiency rates and invited parents and staff to monitor progress as the strategic plan is finalized.