After a state mandate led them to develop a plan to spur student achievement, Columbus School District is using this year to see how effective their plan is. Based on its standardized test scores, the district is classified as in need of improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act. Due to this, Columbus was mandated by the state Department of Education to come up with a way to address the academic needs of students.

Superintendent Marlene Johnson says they decided to restructure their administrative team. There is now a principal for pre-Kindergarten through third grade, grades 4 through 8 and another for 9 through 12. Johnson says the goal is to have their leadership make a bigger impact on the success of students.

She adds they’ll continue to evaluate and adjust the plan over the course of this school year.