August 12, 2025

Board Members Present: Also Present: Dr. Jackson Dr. Victoir Cahoon, Superintendent Mr. Christiansen Mr. Toriano Giddens, Assistant Superintendent Ms. Duggins District Office Administrators Ms. Pendleton Ms. Geist – absent at roll call but arrived at 8:45 a.m. 1.0 Open Session 1.01 Roll Call On a roll call vote of 4/0: Ms. Geist - absent; Ms. Pendleton – present; Ms. Duggins – present; Mr. Christiansen –present; Dr. Jackson – present, quorum was established. 1.02 Open Session On a motion by Mr. Christiansen, seconded by Ms. Duggins, and on a unanimous vote, the board entered open session at 8:38 a.m. [Executive session items are not shown.] Reconvene Open Session Dr. Jackson reconvened to open session at 9:45 a.m. 1.03 Retreat Session The day began with a team building activity directed by Ms. Pendleton. Agenda Items included the following: - • The Path to Impact: Belonging, Consistency, Coherence – presented by Mrs. Cathy Schreiber, Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. Mrs. Schreiber requested attendees review the data and what factors might impact data outcomes. Comparison data was shared as follows: - o ELA Universal Screening – Acadience K-1/STAR 2-8 for all elementary schools and district - o ELA First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade and Fourth Grade data for all elementary schools and district - o ELA data comparison for grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 from 2021-2022 through 2024-2025 - o Math Universal Screening Data – I Ready K/STAR 2-8 - o Math First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade and Fourth Grade data for all elementary schools and district - o Math data comparison for grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 from the 2021-2022 through 2024-2025 - o SBAC data for ELA for grades 3-8 for 2021-2022 through 2024-2025 - o SBAC data for Math for grades 3-8 for 2021-2022 through 2024-2025 Mrs. Schreiber also shared that Capital’s current literacy outcomes require immediate and focused attention and listed the items that the district is investing in Literacy. This plan was compared to the State of Delaware’s plan in order to focus on what might need to be added or adjusted in Capital’s plan.

Key levers for instructional improvement include PLCs, Observation Feedback & Coaching, School-Based PL and implementation of High-Quality Instructional Materials. Professional learning opportunities were also highlighted as well as PDSA: A continuous Improvement Cycle and was explained as: Plan: Identify a goal or purpose, formulate a theory, define success metrics, and name key action steps. Do: Implement the plan/key action steps. Study: Collect data, examine the results, compare against predictions, and summarize what was learned. Act: Refine the change based on what was learned. Rinse and repeat. - • Schools Identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Schools identified for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI): Presented by Ms. Tania Alexander and Dr. Ryan Fuller - - • Delaware School Success Framework or DSSF is the state’s official school accountability system which provides an annual performance snapshot of every public school and district in Delaware. - - • Key Components Measured: - - - ▪ Academic achievement – proficiency for ELA and math (grades 3-8 and 11) - - - ▪ Academic progress – growth in ELA and math (grades 4-8); includes growth of the lowest and highest performing students in a school - - - ▪ School quality/student Success – On-track attendance (K-12), science proficiency (grades 4, 7 and 11), college/career preparedness (grades 9-12), and on-track in 9th grade. - - - ▪ Graduate rates – 4-year, 5-year and 6-year adjusted cohort graduation rates - - - ▪ English language proficiency (ELP) – progress toward English language proficiency (grades 1-12) - o Schools Identified as a CSI school - ▪ School of Excellence-CSI-All subgroups with data from 2024 - ▪ School of Innovation-CSI-All subgroups with data from 2024 - o Schools Identified as a TSI school: - ▪ Booker T. Washington-TSI Students with Disabilities with data from 2024 - ▪ East Dover Elementary-TSI Students with Disabilities with data from 2024 - ▪ South Dover Elementary-TSI Students with Disabilities with data from 2024 Support strategies were discussed as well as Dover Middle School Campus ELA and Math goals. Monitoring and evaluation strategies were also considered. Dr. Cahoon, Superintendent, shared slides reflecting his vision and goals for 2025-2028. Vision: - • strive for educational excellence - • identify skills needed for students to be prepared for the future - • be fiscally responsible, accountable, transparent - • highlight successful and positive things happening in the district - • Recognize and empower staff to be able to improve student outcomes, provide a positive learning environment with growth, and build trust and teamwork - • Provide meaningful professional learning Provide a path for students: - • that leads students to be ready for future opportunities in a changing global society - • holds them accountable, responsible, adaptive and resilient - • that creates self-awareness, teaches them how to manage their time - • that creates a successful future for all students

Share the vision for community which focuses on: - • trust and engagement - • strong partnerships - • belief in the district’s value Dr. Cahoon also shared his goals and objectives for 2025-2028: Increase targets for students in Reading/ELA and Mathematics; Identify strategies for decrease in the absenteeism rate; increase levels of academic achievement and functional performance for students with disabilities. Roadmap for goals and objectives should factor in the following: - • clear goals and expectations, systems alignment/coherence - • consistent use of data, standards aligned to SBAC - • inclusive learning environment - • best instructional practices and curricula - • PLC coaching and feedback cycles with aligned professional development - • Stakeholder involvement - • Expectations share with administrators and teachers - • Review of chronic absenteeism data - - • Grow Your Own Program – a two-year residency program model that combi8nes college coursework and classroom experience. Participants receive ongoing coaching, real-time feedback, Professional development and tutoring. This is a partnership with Wilmington University. - - • Recruitment and retention of reading specialist/special education staff is supported with up to $10,000 per teacher to become certified. - - • Principal Pipelines - - • Recruitment Incentives Mrs. Chenee’ Brooks, Director of Human Resources, discussed ways the department is handling recruitment and retention of staff. She highlighted the following programs the district is using to recruit and retain staff: Dr. Monica Shockley-Porter, Public Relations Specialist, displayed the proposed dates for opening ceremonies for Central Elementary, Fairview and East Early Childhood Centers. These dates are tentative and will be updated as necessary. Dr. Brittany Hazzard, Supervisor of Instruction, Culture and Wellness presented slides on mental health services available to students and staff as well as supports that are provided to students and staff. Ms. Donna J. Geist, new board member effective July 1, 2025, showed slides regarding student outcomes, goals, guardrails and board accountability. She shared a book with board members which details how to begin to set goals, move forward and continue in this process. Goals should be smart and specific, measurable and achievable. Schools exist to improve student outcomes. She noted that next steps for the board members should include additional training in order for board members to fully support the district, students, and staff. Ms. Geist also requested that Policy #400-08 be reviewed. Mr. Damien Burke, Chief Operating Officer, made presentation on Safety and Security which included: - • Safe DE - • RAVE and Standard Response Protocol - • Constable/SRO Staffing 2025-26 - • Emergency Response Plans - • Central Elementary School Readiness

District office administrators other than Dr. Cahoon and Mr. Giddens were excused from the meeting. On a motion by Mr. Christiansen, seconded by Ms. Geist, and on a unanimous vote the board entered [Executive session items are not shown.]