First Quarter Review
Greenback Families,
With the first quarter and parent-teacher conferences behind us, I wanted to share an update on our district’s strategic plan — where we’re seeing success, what goals we’re pursuing, and some of the challenges ahead. Our work through the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) is closely tied to this plan.
You can find the full strategic plan on our district website at www.usd382.com under the District tab. You’ll see two trifolds there — one outlining our goals and another highlighting our accomplishments tied to those goals. There’s also a district information trifold available for your reference.
Celebrations
• Pratt High School was ranked #13 in Kansas by U.S. News & World Report out of about 300 high schools statewide.
• The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) named USD 382 one of the state’s high-performing districts, ranking us 5th out of 97 similar-sized districts for postsecondary success, graduation rates, and state assessments.
• Liberty Middle School earned a Challenge Award from the Kansas State Department of Education for 2024–25.
• Our Board continues to prioritize recruiting and retaining great teachers. Our teachers’ pay now ranks in the top 18% in Kansas, while maintaining a 14.3 to 1 student–teacher ratio — quite an achievement for a district our size.
Of course, numbers never capture the countless daily wins our teachers and staff share with students — but they’re still cool!
Goals
In 2022, about 80 community members came together to give input that shaped our four main goal areas. The bond projects have already addressed all of our facilities goals, and we’re continuing to focus on increasing academic rigor, improving reading and math performance, and raising ACT scores. Our students continue to perform above the state average on the ACT, and those who challenge themselves with rigorous coursework perform exceptionally well.
Our KESA goal centers on high-quality instruction. Last year, we built a long-term professional development plan focusing on structured literacy (PreK–5) and rigorous classroom instruction (6–12). Training is underway this year and next, with teachers using professional development days to integrate what they learn. We’ll continue refining this work through 2026–27 based on team feedback and progress.
Challenges
While our state assessment scores are strong — with the number of students scoring a 3 or a 4 60% higher than the state average in math and 40% higher in reading — we’re still pushing to move more students into Levels 3 and 4. That requires increasing rigor and encouraging productive struggle. Like in the weight room, growth happens when we push ourselves beyond comfort. The same applies to learning.
Assessment results were shared during conferences, and principals and teachers are available if you’d like to discuss your child’s results. We appreciate your continued support of our efforts to push our students to maximize their growth.
Another challenge we’re tackling is cellphone use. Based on feedback from Site Council parents, we restricted phones in classrooms at PHS this year. The results have been encouraging — more reading, better engagement, and stronger classroom focus. We also know social media can take a toll on mental health and can sometimes make it easy for criticism to spread quickly. Your continued support helps our staff stay focused on what matters most — helping students grow and succeed, even when that work isn’t always popular.
A Deeper Dive
State assessments can become a political football, so a little context helps. Scores are reported in four levels, with Levels 3 and 4 considered “proficient.” Historically, those levels line up with ACT scores of 24 and above — several points higher than the college readiness benchmark. The takeaway: students scoring at Levels 3 and 4 are on a path that keeps the door open to college or any postsecondary option they choose. The skills that lead to success on state assessments also support success in the workforce and beyond.
I’ve included state graphs showing how assessment levels correlate with ACT performance, graduation rates, and postsecondary success. This state wide correlation of ACT performance and state assessments has remained consistent over time and it shows that Kansas schools, including ours, continue to perform well nationally.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our Greenback Team. We’re proud of where we are and even more excited about where we’re headed.
Sincerely,
Tony Helfrich