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Wynnewoods summer programs yielded 14 third-grade reading passers; district plans MTSS and curriculum changes
Summary
District officials reported results from summer school and a new sixth-grade RISE transition program: 14 students reached proficiency on summer assessments tied to the third-grade reading guarantee, and the district outlined intervention and curriculum plans to reduce reading deficits.
Wynnewoods City School District administrators on Aug. 25 reported results from summer school and new transition programming and outlined next steps to address students still behind in reading.
Dr. Adrian Martin, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning (grades K'6), and Dr. Tamara Ragland, Executive Director for grades 7'12, presented the summer-session outcomes and recommendations to trustees. The report covered K'5 summer classes, a new sixth-grade RISE transition program, middle- and high-school recovery and credit programs, and the district's intervention plans for struggling readers.
Officials said the elementary summer program invited targeted students on reading improvement plans; attendance varied by grade. Third grade had 97 invited students with 62 attending regularly. The RISE bridge program for rising seventh graders was invited for 25 students and had 23 regular attendees.
On summer assessments, 61 students were tested with the NWEA MAP; 7 of those students achieved the passing score. A separate state summer OST administration involved 56 tests with 7 passes. Superintendent and staff reported a total of 14 students reached a proficient score on either summer assessment, and noted most students will move on to fourth grade with supports in place.
Dr. Martin described the RISE program's aims in his own words as to "reach higher heights, inspire a love for learning, strengthen essential skills, and excel academically and personally." The program combined acclimation activities, project-based learning, building tours and an assigned buddy to ease the transition from sixth to seventh grade.
District leaders recommended several interventions and next steps: adopt and continue high-quality, state-approved core reading materials for K'6; expand targeted summer opportunities to include math in response to forthcoming state math-improvement expectations; pursue Orton'Gillingham training through Hamilton County ESE for intervention capacity; and make better use of the district's MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) framework and a newly introduced dashboard to monitor interventions and attendance.
Dr. Martin and Dr. Ragland said the district will survey RISE participants after they have begun the school year to gather follow-up data and help decide whether to expand the program. Board members asked for more hard data on RISE selection criteria, program curriculum and high school end-of-course assessment performance; staff said requested test-detail reports would be provided at a future work session.
Officials noted that while summer programming provided additional chances for proficiency, state policy changes affecting retention reduced the number of students retained in third grade; under current practice, students not meeting the third-grade reading benchmark are promoted with accompanying interventions.
The board received the report and asked staff for ongoing implementation updates, attendance tracking and the requested assessment details.
