By Janine DavisRecord Staff WriterAs the snow and polar temperatures abate, area school leaders are anxious for kids and teachers to return to the classroom for a new calendar year of advancements in learning.Warren County R-III officials say the next few months will be spent accelerating plans to tackle some of the basic education fundamentals that are key to improving academic progress.“Our MSIP 5 (Missouri School Improvement Program) scores last year were not where we want them to be,” said R-III Superintendent Dr. Jim Chandler. “We’re rebooting our programs to address that and get our students advancing at a higher level.”Chandler said he and other leaders in the district have been focusing on improving accountability for improvements in learning and achievement. This includes more rigorous classroom monitoring, interventions for students falling behind, as well as intensified professional training for teachers. It also includes doubling down on the school’s Positive Behavior Support program, a system many schools are using to create a positive learning environment conducive to student academic and social success and to maximize the efficiency of instruction time, officials added. At the same time, Chandler said, teachers and administrators are turning to student test data to identify pupils who need extra help.“We’re starting to see some improvement in our subject-specific testing through the year,” Chandler noted.Attendance also is improving, Chandler notes, which is another linchpin in the district’s plan for improvement.“We have staff who can make a difference in students’ lives, so it’s important to have kids in the classroom,” he said.At Wright City R-II, leaders are gearing up for a series of town hall meetings on priority initiatives the district is planning for the future.One meeting will be on the district’s 1:1 Mobile Learning initiative that will ensure all students have access to a laptop or tablet by 2016.“We live in a digital world where it’s hard to find employers who aren’t using these technologies and devices to conduct everyday business,” said R-II Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines.“We want our students to be proficient in that realm and to be able to access all the learning tools available online.”Additional town hall meetings in the works will address plans for a preschool and college preparedness, Gaines said.School leaders set agenda for new year