District reports winter gains for K–6 students; credits MTSS coaching and targeted interventions

Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Scott Hade told the Forest Hills Board of Education on Feb. 10 that winter NWEA results show strong growth across the district's elementary schools, with every elementary landing in the high-achievement, high-growth quadrant when comparing fall to winter scores.

Hade said the result reflects districtwide work to implement a Multi-Tiered System of Supports, including targeted intervention tools, MTSS coaches in each elementary building and scheduled grade-level data meetings. "When students take the growth test, they fall within a percentile. And based on that percentile, that dictates to us what we'll do and how we'll respond for each and every individual student," Hade said.

Why it matters: The board was shown quadrant and grade-level reports for math and reading that, according to Hade, showed consistent movement of buildings and grade levels into the upper-right quadrant. The district uses NWEA, a nationally normed assessment, to monitor growth from fall to winter and to inform tiered interventions during an instructional block the district calls "win time."

Hade described the district’s tiered decision-making matrix for kindergarten through fourth grade and a separate, grade-appropriate matrix for grades 5–6, and said staff use those matrices to determine whether students receive universal Tier 1 instruction, short-term Tier 2 interventions, or more intensive Tier 3 supports. "Tier 2 is what they need based on where they perform," he said.

Hade also noted enrichment and challenge programs intended to serve high-performing students alongside intervention supports for students who are below benchmarks. He listed specific intervention tools used in the district (for example, UFLI) and said MTSS coaches help teachers coordinate Tier 2 and Tier 3 work.

Board members responded positively. One board member said the tiered supports also provide extra challenges for students exceeding benchmarks. Hade closed by acknowledging teacher effort and training: "None of this gets done without a really highly dedicated and skilled instructional staff." He said the presentation reflected fall-to-winter change and expressed expectation that growth would continue from winter to spring.

Meeting context: Hade's presentation was delivered at the start of the business portion of the board meeting and preceded votes on consent and other agenda items. No student-level data was shown publicly; Hade said teachers examine individual student records in internal meetings to guide interventions.

Ending: The board offered no formal motions on the presentation itself; members asked clarifying questions and accepted the report before moving to other agenda items.