Jordan district reports steady early literacy but flags fluency, sets math goals after Acadience data

Jordan School District staff reviewed Acadience (reading) and Acadience Math data for K–6 at the Aug. 12 study session and highlighted steady benchmark results in several grades but identified oral reading fluency and chronic absenteeism as barriers to faster gains. The data: Staff reported that district K–3 benchmark status for Acadience Reading was roughly steady at about 66% for the 2024–25 year, with growth measures varying by grade. Middle‑elementary grades (4–6) showed improvement in benchmark status over recent years. Staff said oral reading fluency (ORF) was the component that did not rise as much as other measures and that teachers asked for more grade‑level aligned decodable text for practice. Staff explained the difference between benchmark and growth: benchmark is a criterion‑referenced standard for a given point in the year; growth compares students to themselves or like‑scoring peers. Staff noted chronic absenteeism (missing more than 10% of days) has risen and is correlated with lower performance: chronically absent students performed about 18 percentage points lower than regularly attending peers in the most recent year. Reading on grade level and state comparisons: Staff explained Utah’s state definition of “reading on grade level” (third grade on the school accountability report) is tied to Acadience “above benchmark” and is a state policy decision; the district’s districtwide third‑grade “reading on grade level” percentage was in the 40s to 50s in recent years, with a 2027 state target of 70% noted. Math: Staff presented Acadience Math results (fourth year of administration for the district) and said the district did not meet the state uniform growth goal (60% typical or better progress) for grades 1–3; the district reported roughly 48.4% growth for math in grades 1–3. For 2025–26 the state goals submitted by the district would hold certain quantity discrimination measures steady and continue uniform growth goals. District response and next steps: Staff tied the fluency data to the proposed adoption of decodable readers aligned to UFLI (discussed separately) and to curricular implementation choices such as Wit & Wisdom and the district’s “Walk to Read” tier‑2 structure. Staff told the board they intend to track cohort growth, monitor absenteeism closely and focus fluency practice in first and second grade. The presentation was informational; staff will return with purchase and implementation details for materials and with periodic progress updates.