End-of-Year Progress Monitoring: The Final Data Check Before Summer
June 13, 2028
This is the last formal Progress Monitoring check-in before summer break.
You have been tracking data all year. January baseline. Monthly updates. Course corrections along the way. Now it is June, and you need the full picture before school lets out.
Where does each adopted goal stand at the June data point?
The Four Questions for Every Goal
Take each goal your board adopted in January. Run it through four questions.
One. Where were we in January? That is your baseline. Not your aspiration. Not your assumption. The actual starting point.
Two. Where are we in June? That is your current data point. Not an estimate. Not a projection. The actual number six months into implementation.
Three. What is the trajectory? Draw the line from January to June. Is it moving in the right direction? Is it moving fast enough? Flat lines are not neutral — they are a signal.
Four. Is the trajectory sufficient to reach the December target? This is the question that separates monitoring boards from governing boards. Everyone can look at data. Governing boards compare current trajectory against the destination and make decisions about the gap.
End-of-Year Directed Changes
June is not the time to shrug and say “Let’s see what happens in the fall.”
June is the time to issue end-of-year directed changes. These are specific implementation adjustments that take effect when school resumes in August.
If Goal Two is on pace to hit the December target, your directed change may be “Continue current strategy. No adjustment needed.”
If Goal Four is lagging, your directed change may be “The superintendent will present a revised implementation plan at the August board meeting with two additional intervention strategies and a revised interim benchmark for September.”
Directed changes are not suggestions. They are board directives. They go into the official record. The superintendent implements them over the summer.
On Track vs. Accelerated Attention
At the end of this check-in, you should be able to sort your goals into two categories.
Goals on track for the December target. These goals continue current implementation with routine monitoring.
Goals that need accelerated attention in H2. These goals require a different strategy, additional resources, or a timeline recalibration.
Boards that do this sorting in June enter the fall knowing exactly where to focus. Boards that skip it enter the fall reacting to whatever data arrives first in September.
The Foundation for Three Things
The June data you review this week becomes the foundation for three critical governance activities.
First: your board’s summer work session. The work session agenda should be built around the June data — specifically the goals that need accelerated attention.
Second: the 2029 goal-setting process. Your June data tells you what worked and what did not in the current cycle. That knowledge directly informs the targets you set for next year.
Third: the superintendent’s annual evaluation. The superintendent’s performance is measured against the goals the board adopted and the progress data the board monitored. If you want an evidence-based superintendent evaluation, the evidence is in your June data.
The May Data Prep Connection
Here is the hard truth. Boards that conducted the May data preparation walk through last month have real findings today. They have clean data sets. They have trend lines. They have questions ready for the superintendent.
Boards that did not request data in May will get partial information this week. They will make incomplete decisions. They will enter the summer uncertain about where they stand.
There is no shortcut. Good Progress Monitoring requires preparation. May data prep makes June findings possible. If you did not do it, you now know what to schedule for May 2029.
Your Free Resource: End-of-Year Progress Monitoring Kit
Includes the year-over-year trajectory dashboard, end-of-year directed change template, and summer implementation tracking protocol. Use it at your June board meeting.
[Download the End-of-Year Progress Monitoring Kit]
Your Paid Resource: End-of-Year Governance Wrap-Up Session
I will work with your board to review the June data, produce directed changes for each goal, and set the fall monitoring cadence. One session gives you a complete H1-to-H2 transition plan.
[Schedule Your End-of-Year Governance Wrap-Up Session]
Next week: Looking Ahead to Fall 2028. The board has completed the spring execution cycle. Now it is time to preview what the second half of the governance cycle will require. The agenda includes the summer work session, goal-setting preparation, and the fall Progress Monitoring calendar.