There’s one area where the Knoxville School District needs improvement, as pointed out by the state in its review of Iowa school districts for 2018; and Knoxville’s superintendent expects the district to take the necessary steps to fix it in the coming year.

The Every Student Succeeds Act found one area of concern among all of Knoxville’s various schools and educational levels; that’s in the area of students at the middle school in need of special assistance.

District Superintendent Cassi Pearson tells KNIA/KRLS News she and the school staff will be working on righting this problem during 2019.

“As most people know, middle school is a tough age…so that’s going to be an area that we put a lot of focus into here in 2019; we are expecting some great results from that, as well as continuing the growth and progress across the board,” Pearson says.

The Every Student Succeeds Act is the replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act, and Pearson says educators hold ESSA in better regard because it allows districts the opportunity to find solutions rather than simply punishing them for failing to meet standards.

For more on the Knoxville School District for the coming year, tune in to today’s edition of Let’s Talk Knoxville.