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Okemos reports mixed NWEA growth: math up sharply, literacy below MTSS target; multilingual students exceeding expectations
Summary
District leaders presented spring NWEA benchmark results and MTSS work, saying math growth rose substantially while literacy fell short of the MTSS committee's target; leaders pointed to recent professional development and planned a deeper data dive this summer to identify causes for persistent gaps.
Assistant Superintendent Bailey and Director (Dr.) Slee presented the Okemos Public Schools Board of Education with spring benchmark (NWEA) and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) updates, reporting mixed results and next steps for analysis and intervention.
Key findings: District leaders said math growth increased from about 36% to roughly 65% of students meeting expected growth over the reporting period, while literacy growth edged down slightly to 53% (the district's MTSS target was 62.5%). "We didn't hit our target. Our target was 62.5%," the presenter said when explaining literacy results. Leaders also highlighted a recurring pattern: multilingual learners are exceeding expected growth averages in both literacy and math this year.
Why it matters: The district has been shifting to a growth-focused benchmark (NWEA) so teachers and teams can set individual student goals, track progress and target interventions through MTSS. Administrators said the NWEA's conditional-growth measures help identify students who need enrichment as well as intervention.
Instructional actions and professional development: Administrators described a multi-year investment in literacy interventions and staff training, including Orton-Gillingham-informed instruction and a district-wide literacy grant that trained pre-K through fifth-grade teachers in the science of reading this year. The presenters also cited SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) training targeted at supporting multilingual students: the district expects about 75 educators to complete SIOP training by the end of the year.
Social-emotional screening and supports: The district is administering the BASC social-emotional screener three times per year in grades 3'12 and said it has identified students who were not previously on staff radars. Presenters said the screener is not diagnostic but provides flags that prompt follow-up by counselors and social workers and that the district is working with partners (Ingham ISD, MDHHS, Harvard Government Performance Lab) to streamline referrals.
Equity questions and next steps: Trustees pressed for more root-cause analysis where groups continue to lag; presenters said they will conduct deeper data digs over the summer to identify contributing factors for gaps affecting Black and Hispanic students and other demographic groups. The district plans a follow-up presentation on intervention use and outcomes in June.
Speakers quoted or consulted for this article: Assistant Superintendent Bailey; Dr. Slee, Director (MTSS); multiple trustees who asked for additional analysis.
Ending: District leaders said the spring snapshot reflects progress on several fronts but requires deeper, cross-year analysis and continued professional learning to meet MTSS goals; they committed to bring intervention data and more targeted analyses to the board in June.
