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SAISD reports mid‑year MAP and early literacy gains; district outlines interventions for Algebra 1 and struggling students
Summary
District staff presented middle‑of‑year assessment data showing growth on DIBELS/MClass and NWEA MAP; staff described interventions for Algebra 1 retests, raised concerns about middle‑school growth, and flagged enrollment churn and pre‑K access as important factors.
Doctor Gomez (district staff member) presented San Angelo ISD’s middle‑of‑year assessment results at the March 17 board meeting, including MClass/DIBELS early literacy data for kindergarten through second grade and NWEA MAP growth data for grades 3–12.
Gomez said 52 percent of students who entered SAISD at the beginning of the year (BOY) were “well below” the kindergarten benchmark; by the middle‑of‑year (MOY) testing that group had decreased to 40 percent, though the district remained below the national MOY level of 31 percent. Gomez described MClass/DIBELS as the district’s universal screening and early literacy progress tool and noted the district is seeing gains when students remain in SAISD and receive targeted interventions.
On MAP, Gomez said the assessment measures individual student growth and is administered three times a year. The district added MAP for second grade this year; staff highlighted gains in several grade levels and larger variability in middle school where sixth‑ to eighth‑grade math has not yet received new instructional materials. Gomez pointed to Algebra 1 as a special case: the district is tracking any student who still needs the Algebra 1 end‑of‑course (EOC) and reported substantial semester growth after adoption of new Algebra 1 materials (an average growth of 8.5 points, described as a 62 percent increase in one semester for a cohort using a new resource).
Trustees asked how seniors who still need to pass Algebra 1 will be supported. Gomez said both high schools have a scheduled intervention period that can serve students not currently enrolled in the course, and the district provides additional small‑group instruction in June before final retests. Trustee questions prompted staff to acknowledge multiple variables that affect growth: attendance, student mobility, retention, the number of teachers a student sees, and whether students previously attended pre‑K.
One trustee said the district experienced high turnover this year, estimating about 800 withdrawals and roughly 650 incoming students; board members said that churn complicates year‑to‑year comparisons. Trustees also discussed pre‑K access and said expanding pre‑K enrollment remains a priority to address incoming kindergarten readiness gaps.
Gomez said the district will provide a follow‑up report at the end of the year with a fuller baseline after a full year of MAP administration for all students; trustees requested continued updates and emphasized teacher professional learning and targeted interventions as central to raising student growth.
No formal action was taken on the academic report; trustees thanked staff and directed continued monitoring and reporting.
