Anchorage School Board reviews early reading and math interim data, flags gaps and budget risks to interventions

The Anchorage School Board heard technical briefings on March 1 about the district's early-reading screeners and interim math measures, including MCAS DIBELS 8, MAP Growth (NWEA) and i-Ready diagnostics, and discussed achievement gaps, screening choices and how looming budget cuts could affect classroom interventions.

Chris Opitz, senior director of assessment and evaluation, summarized the district's two interim reading goals tied to the system's long-term target for third-grade proficiency on the AK STAR assessment. Opitz said the first interim goal (1.1) focuses on kindergarten and first-grade students and aims to raise the percentage of K-1 students at or above the MCAS DIBELS 8 benchmark from 55.8% in spring 2023 toward an 80% target by spring 2028. He said the district finished the 2023–24 school year at or above short-term targets and is tracking fall and winter data for the current year.

Opitz explained that MCAS DIBELS 8 is a curriculum-based, criterion-referenced early literacy screener intended to measure foundational skills rather than national grade-level norms. He told the board the screener is valid for large-scale early literacy identification but is different in design from comprehension-focused tests such as MAP or grade-level assessments like AK STAR.

On math, district staff explained that the MAP Growth assessment (NWEA) is a norm-referenced tool and that the district reports the percentage of students at or above the 40th percentile (the low-average benchmark on the norm curve). “On a norm curve, you would expect about 60% of students to be above the 40th percentile,” Opitz said, describing why the district uses that cutoff.

Amanda Barr, math curriculum coordinator, said i-Ready is the district's year-long diagnostic and benchmark tool in math for K–8 and that staff also maintain a small FastBridge contract for targeted progress monitoring when teachers and interventionists need higher-frequency data for students who are receiving supports.

Board members pressed staff for subgroup detail. Member Jacobs cited data showing year-over-year growth for economically disadvantaged students but noted that their gains lagged the non–economically disadvantaged cohort and asked how the district will accelerate catch-up growth. Staff emphasized existing intensified plans and professional learning community work, and said administrators are targeting support for schools with large concentrations of students below grade level and are expanding summer and preschool alignment work to shore up foundational numeracy and literacy skills.

Several board members raised concerns about a persistent gender gap in early math in Anchorage and urged more longitudinal analysis. Member Lisonbee asked for deeper standards-level reporting to identify specific skill gaps so that interventions can be targeted. Barr said school and classroom leaders are examining standards-aligned formative data and that the district will drill down further into course-level skill patterns.

Several presenters connected the assessment conversation to budget pressures. Mr. Prince, a district administrator, warned that an approved budget scenario that increases pupil-teacher ratio and forces “combo” (combination) classes would put teachers in the difficult position of differentiating multiple grade-level curricula within a single classroom. “We're gonna end up with combination classes,” he said, describing the practical challenges of teaching two grade levels at once and the likely loss of intervention time when support staff positions are reduced.

Dr. Nelson Strumpfler, a district leader addressing financial impacts, added that larger class sizes and reduced support personnel will make it harder to provide effective intervention time, particularly during the district's WIN (intervention) block. At the secondary level, he said course offerings that provide double-period support or applied math options could be lost when staffing tightens.

Board members asked about assessment comparability. Opitz and Barr reiterated that MCAS DIBELS 8, MAP Growth and i-Ready serve distinct purposes: DIBELS for early literacy screening and progress monitoring, i-Ready for K–8 standards-referenced diagnostics, and MAP for normed comparison to national peers.

Ending

The board set a schedule to revisit the data and asked staff to provide more granular subgroup and standards-level reporting at the next monitoring presentation. Administrators also promised to return with recommendations for aligning intervention staffing to needs should additional budget adjustments be required.