District administrators devoted a substantial portion of the Littlestown Area School Board meeting on Monday, Dec. 8 to academic performance, instructional strategies, and student support initiatives, before the board moved into procedural business and a technology presentation later in the evening.
In his administrative report, High School Principal Nathan Becker highlighted recent assessment data showing Littlestown High School students leading Adams County in all three tested subject areas, with particularly strong performance in algebra and biology. Becker stressed that while instructional preparation is essential, student commitment ultimately determines outcomes, singling out the senior class for its role in achieving the results. He also reported on recent meetings with teachers to review Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS) data, describing those discussions as candid and productive in identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.
Becker noted unusually strong attendance during Keystone retesting, citing a biology retest session involving roughly 50 students in which no students were absent across two consecutive testing days—an outcome he said he had not previously experienced in more than a decade of administering exams. He credited teachers for motivating students to take retesting seriously and maintain engagement even after an initial unsuccessful attempt. Additional academic updates included preparation for upcoming Keystone algebra retesting following winter break.
Beyond academics, Becker congratulated students and staff involved in extracurricular activities, including the cast and crew of the high school play Class Action, which was staged in a nontraditional classroom setting due to space limitations. He also recognized a Mini-THON fundraising effort that raised more than $500 for pediatric cancer research, as well as other seasonal student activities across the district.
Building-level administrators followed with reports focused on instructional consistency and targeted intervention. Middle school leadership reported steady progress toward schoolwide academic goals and emphasized maintaining expectations and accountability as the calendar year draws to a close.
At the elementary level, administrators provided a detailed overview of early literacy instruction, including the district’s increased use of decodable readers in kindergarten classrooms. The materials were described as intentionally aligned with phonics instruction, designed to reinforce decoding skills using controlled vocabulary rather than reliance on pictures. Administrators explained that the approach supports both beginning readers and students requiring additional intervention, while maintaining a focus on comprehension.
Elementary administrators also outlined special education and math intervention strategies, describing how assessment data is used to group students by need and monitor progress toward Individualized Education Program goals. In math, intervention efforts currently focus on grades one through four, using data from prior-year performance and fall diagnostics to identify students in the lowest performance percentiles. Ongoing progress monitoring and collaboration between classroom teachers, interventionists, and instructional coaches were described as central to refining instructional strategies ahead of mid-year assessments, with results expected to guide planning for the second half of the school year.
Following the administrative reports, the board moved into action items, approving several sets of prior meeting and committee minutes. Discussion became contentious during review of finance committee minutes, with debate over how recording activity by a member of the public had been documented. A motion to amend the minutes failed, and the board ruled on a procedural objection before briefly recessing the meeting due to continued disruption.
Committee business resumed after the recess, with the board approving curriculum, policy, reorganization, and work session minutes, despite continued disagreement over wording related to prior public participation.
The meeting concluded with a presentation from the district’s technology department outlining a proposed livestreaming system intended to improve audio and video quality for board meetings. Staff presented a Logitech-based system featuring multiple microphones, speakers, and a tracking camera, designed to remain under a $5,000 budget. Board members discussed whether a mobile or permanently installed setup would best serve district needs, emphasizing transparency, reliability, and ease of use as key considerations.