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Cary 26 board hears midyear data; district cites literacy focus and phonics pilots
Summary
District curriculum staff presented midyear assessment results and explained literacy initiatives, phonics pilots and how Win Time is being used for targeted support. The board discussed percentiles, parent access to scores and next steps for math professional learning.
At its Feb. 24 meeting, the Cary CCSD 26 Board of Education received a midyear curriculum report that compared student performance from the beginning of the school year to the midpoint and outlined district instructional priorities for 2024–25.
Curriculum staff emphasized a districtwide focus on literacy as the gateway to other subjects, implementation of K–8 ELA curriculum maps for tier 1 instruction, and pilots of early-literacy phonics programs in kindergarten through grade 2. "This is one data point," Miss Rivera told the board when presenting STAR assessment results, cautioning that STAR is one of several measures the district uses, including IAR and classroom assessments.
Administrators described how the district uses multiple instruments: STAR Renaissance for broad screening, local CBMs (curriculum-based measures) for kindergarten skills, and Branching Minds and other platforms for intervention planning. Kindergarten CBM results showed an increase in students demonstrating proficiency by the district’s benchmark for letter sounds—from about 42% at the beginning of the year to roughly 74% at midyear—district presenters highlighted as a substantial gain. "Letter sounds is where we should be starting," a presenter said when describing why that metric matters for early reading.
District staff explained the percentile benchmark the district currently uses: proficiency this year is set at the 30th national percentile on STAR, and the district plans to raise that target to the 40th percentile next year. Board members asked for clearer parent-facing explanations and better ways to publish individual student results in parent portals. Miss Rivera and other staff said the district is evaluating reporting features on assessment platforms and will explore whether scores can be surfaced more readily in Infinite Campus or other parent-accessible systems.
On phonics, the curriculum team reported two pilot programs—UFLY and Benchmark phonics—are being used across different K–2 classrooms; the district plans to adopt one for tier 1 and retain the other for tier 2 interventions. Presenters said both pilots produced growth in classrooms using them and that the adoption decision will emphasize evidence that a program supports 80% or more of students.
Board members also discussed math results, dual-language testing effects and next steps for professional learning. Staff acknowledged that STAR does not capture the entire picture and that other assessments, including the IAR and classroom-level progress monitoring, will inform instruction and professional development.
No formal action was taken on curriculum items during the meeting. Staff said work will continue on reporting improvements and on aligning benchmark choices with parent communication needs.
