UPDATE: MMSD leaders announce plan to eliminate achievement gap - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

MADISON (WKOW) -- The Madison Metropolitan School District has more information about the specifics of the achievement gap plan.

The plan talks about developing an early warning system for kids who are not making grades in school. The plan will use restorative practices instead of suspensions and expulsions for misbehaving children.

The plan also talks about extending the school day.

Making sure all students read at their grade level is discussed in the plan. This will cost about $1.5 million dollars.

Creating family engagement programs will cost about $647,000 dollars.

Click here for more information about the achievement gap plan.

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MADISON (WKOW) – The Madison Metropolitan School District is one step closer to seeing changes focused on helping struggling minority students succeed in Madison schools.

The superintendent presented his final plan to bridge the racial achievement gap to a Madison school board committee Monday night.

The superintendent narrowed it down to 21 initiatives laid out in more than 100 pages, and parents are ready to see it turned into action.

"The curriculum and environment wasn't fit to my needs," said freshman Sam Tribble, Jr.

He had trouble keeping his grades up at La Follette High School.

"We all don't learn the same and just because we don't learn the same doesn't mean we have a disability. It's just a different way of learning," said Tribble's mother, Jochebed Jones.

After months of hearing from parents like Jones, the Madison superintendent announced his final recommendations to bridge the achievement gap between white and minority students.

"We know this is the challenge of our time. This is the number one social justice issue we face as a nation," he said.

Nerad is proposing expanding the AVID/TOPs program that involves a four-year elective class and activities out of school to prepare students for college.

The plan also aims to focus on literacy interventions and moving away from a discipline system based on suspensions and expulsions toward restorative justice practices.

The superintendent estimates it will cost nearly six million dollars, half the cost of his original plan proposed in February.

The superintendent says part of the reason this plan is less costly is because some of those initiatives require further planning. One of those was extending the school day.

"There were concerns about how long do we need to keep kids in school? Is that going to keep kids who are already less than engaged in school from being engaged in school?" Nerad said.

Jones said she hopes she sees changes in the district in time for her children, but she's skeptical.

"Until I see a change, all he's saying are words... until those words are put into action, it really doesn't mean anything," she said.

Just under half of African-American students in Madison graduated in 2010.

Despite the disappointing statistics, Jones' son says dropping out isn't in his future.

"I actually want to make something of myself and going to school will help me do that," Tribble said.

He now goes to Madison West High School, where he says they've been much more flexible and he's been getting better grades.

As far as the achievement gap plan, the school board will discuss the superintendent's recommendations until June 18 when they aim to finalize the budget.

Click here for a link to the entire achievement gap proposal.

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MADISON (WKOW) -- On Monday morning, Madison Metropolitan School District leaders will release new recommendations on a plan to help close the district's achievement gap.

MMSD officials will meet at the Doyle Administration Building at 11 a.m. to discuss potential changes. They will then present the revised plan at Monday night's school board meeting.

The revision follows several months of public input sessions.