Tri‑Creek intermediate and middle school presentations highlight growth strategies and Mindplay reading gains

District leaders used the meeting to present academic programs and intervention results from Lowell Intermediate School and Lowell Middle School, focusing on structures intended to accelerate learning.

Presenters described the intermediate school’s organization for grades five and six (teams separated into red, silver and black), staffing levels, and an instructional day that includes double‑blocked ELA and math (88 minutes each) and alternate‑day science/social studies blocks. The intermediate presenter said the building serves 280 fifth graders and 234 sixth graders, for 514 total students, and emphasized weekly professional learning community (PLC) meetings and a “Win Time” (What I Need) intervention/enrichment period that groups students by assessment data for targeted instruction.

District staff cited assessment results to illustrate gains in math. The presenter compared a prior year’s sixth‑grade NWEA achievement percentiles (fall 60 to winter 71) with the current year’s figures (fall 74 to winter 84) and reported an increase in the share of students meeting projected growth (from about 66 percent previously to 72 percent this year). Teachers also gave classroom examples: a fifth‑grade language arts teacher reported moving a group from 40.7 percent mastery on a pre‑assessment to 65 percent on a post‑assessment after targeted reteaching; an inclusion class rose from 37 percent to 70 percent mastery on a retested skill after small‑group instruction.

At the middle school, presenters described curriculum mapping, the use of common formative assessments, and advisory time used to pull small groups for remediation in ELA and math. Teachers outlined an item‑level analysis process: breaking down results by question and class period, reteaching in advisory or classroom settings, and reassessing with modified items. An example cited showed a question’s proficiency rate increase from 80 percent pre‑reteach to 96 percent post‑reteach.

The meeting also included an extended description of the Mindplay reading intervention used in the middle school’s reading intervention class. Mrs. Cooksley, who teaches the intervention, said she has worked with intervention programs for decades and described Mindplay as a computer‑based program that requires teacher monitoring and reteaching. She said some students made gains equating to multiple grade‑level years of reading growth; one class showed more than two years of growth on the district benchmark. The presenter noted that many students in the program start multiple grade levels below benchmark and that approximately 65 percent of Mindplay students, as described in the presentation, qualify as ELL or LRE (special education) students.

Students who use Mindplay spoke to the board and described improvements in spelling, reading fluency and comprehension. The presenters framed the work as foundational instruction—phonics, phonemic awareness and vocabulary—often missed earlier and now addressed in targeted intervention.

The presentations ended with board thanks and no formal action; staff said the district will continue PLC work, targeted interventions and data monitoring in preparation for next year’s cohorts.