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Larimer and Weld counties, Colorado

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Thompson plan targets students with disabilities; staff member cites first percentile

·Loveland·Larimer County

From the Thompson School District Board of Education meeting of

The draft budgets in-person coaching and on-demand teacher training, with semester reviews planned over two school years. The board must approve it before submission to the state.

A district staff member said Thompson School District’s draft improvement plan focuses on students with disabilities in math and English. Those students were at the first percentile in achievement, the staff member said.

The Colorado Department of Education requires the district to create a new District Unified Improvement Plan, according to the board’s briefing memorandum. The board must approve it before the district submits it to the state. A district staff member said the board would consider the plan again at a business meeting and vote to adopt or approve it.

The plan also focuses on multilingual learners in math, English and English language arts, and on growth for all students in English language arts and math, the staff member said. The district shifted its goal to achievement because “sometimes growth can become a crutch” and weaken the belief that students can meet grade-level standards, the staff member said. The goal measures proficiency and reflects educators’ belief that every student can meet grade-level standards with support, the staff member said. A board member welcomed the shift, saying the emphasis on growth had been frustrating.

Another board member raised concerns that spending on one area could come at the expense of other investments or delay work on buildings. “We need to be prepared to go to our community and ask for money,” the member said, urging investment in schools and programs. Director Stu Boyd agreed that the district needs money to do what should be done.

The plan lists $241,500 for All Learners Network to provide in-person training and in-building coaching for secondary math teachers, building leaders and special education teachers, plus coaching for elementary teachers and leaders. It lists $120,000 for All Learners Online’s on-demand training for all teachers. The plan names the General Fund (mill accounts)/professional-development budget and Title II as funding sources and marks the costs as budgeted.

The plan sets a checkpoint each semester over the next two school years. The district will review the impact of its actions alongside local midyear and end-of-year data results.

More from this meeting

  1. Thompson School District Board of Education study session, Oct. 7, 2026

    Thompson district drafts five-year plan to guide learning, spending; Thompson board steers four student goals toward Oct. 21 vote; Thompson plan targets students with disabilities; staff member cites first percentile.

  2. Item 4.1Thompson district drafts five-year plan to guide learning, spending

    If approved, district leaders would set first-year priorities and develop an annual plan. The draft also calls for technology-use guidance and an audit of how much instruction time student assessments take.

  3. Item 4.2Thompson board steers four student goals toward Oct. 21 vote

    The proposed goals pair reading, writing and math benchmarks with a 15% narrowing of test-score gaps for students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, minority students, bilingual learners and students with disabilities. Workforce readiness may be considered later, after…

  4. Item 4.4Peakview principal says only 47% of students making typical growth

    The improvement plan targets classroom instruction, student reengagement and family partnerships. It lists August as a proposed start, with formal progress checks in December and May 2027.

  5. Item 4.5Thompson accountability committee has parent-representation gaps, speaker says

    The proposed roster is expected to go to the board for approval at its next meeting, with an Oct. 21 start date proposed. Recruitment remains largely word of mouth; nonvoting participants can join discussions but cannot vote.

  6. Item 4.6Thompson district proposes selling Community Connections building for Mary Blair move

    A proposed Thompson School District resolution would declare the Community Connections Building surplus and begin the sale process as the district plans to move the program to Mary Blair.

  7. Item 4.7, Item 4.8 and Item 4.9Thompson considers pregnancy, parental status in nondiscrimination policy

    The revisions would apply to students, staff and community members in district programs, with separate board votes planned on the policy and two related exhibits. Broader changes, including an appeals process, remain under review.

  8. Item 4.11 and Item 4.12Thompson proposal would allow charges for records work after first hour

    The proposal would require a district website form with details such as date ranges and search terms. The board is set to discuss the policy and a related regulation, then vote on each separately in two weeks.

  9. Item 6.1Thompson reports uneven growth in math, English language arts

    Elementary English language arts and PSAT reading and writing improved, while secondary math materials no longer align with state standards. A curriculum pilot is underway, with a board update expected in coming months.