The Creighton Elementary School District Governing Board on Oct. 21 approved its Goal 4 progress monitoring report, which centers on increasing reading proficiency for third graders, and adopted revised interim measures for measures 4.2 and 4.3 following staff presentations of fall pretest data.

Why it matters: Third‑grade reading proficiency is a key district goal tied to long‑term student outcomes; trustees and staff framed the changes as part of a multi‑year push to align benchmarks more closely with the Arizona state test (AASA) and to intensify early literacy supports.

Coordinator Sarah Beth George and other literacy staff presented pretest data and explained the three interim measures for Goal 4. The district’s 2028 target for third‑grade proficiency is 41%; staff said the fall pretest showed an initial level below the annual target and recommended a year‑end target of 31% proficient on the district benchmark for third graders (interim measure 4.1). For interim measure 4.2 (first–third grade fluency at the 50th percentile), staff proposed raising the goal to 27% (from a prior target of 25%), citing historical variability and the need to reverse recent declines. For interim measure 4.3 (FastBridge early reading composite for current first graders, a cohort identified to become third graders in 2028), staff proposed a 32% year‑end target (up from the prior 25%), noting that the same cohort had improved from kindergarten spring to first‑grade fall.

Staff described planned adjustments and next steps: foundational professional development sessions (Creighton professional learning Wednesdays) with dozens of teachers, a K–3 literacy cohort that includes administrators, ADE‑supported coursework for teachers, a focus of literacy coaches on K–3 teachers (goal: at least 85% of literacy coach caseloads on K–3; current 90%), expanded training and access for 95% Group intervention materials, and summer librarian support to increase materials availability.

Board members asked why some interim rates dip across an academic year. Staff explained that normed percentile cut scores increase across assessment windows (a “moving target”); a student can grow in raw skill but still fall behind the expected national percentile rate. Staff gave concrete word‑count examples for oral reading fluency (third‑grade fall: 97 words/minute; winter: 120; spring: 134) to illustrate the shifting expectations.

Votes: Trustees voted to approve the Goal 4 progress monitoring report. They also voted to adopt revised interim measures 4.2 (27%) and 4.3 (32%). Motions were made, seconded and passed by voice vote.

What’s next: Staff will continue K–3 coaching and PD, fill remaining literacy coach positions, implement family‑engagement strategies (SEI and math family nights) and track cohort progress; the board asked staff to report progress in subsequent monitoring cycles.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A during the Oct. 21 Governing Board meeting; data excerpts and staff remarks on FastBridge and DNA benchmarks.