Board hears midyear math stagnation and reading gains; administrators outline strategies

Administrators presented midyear academic updates Feb. 26 covering math and reading for grades that feed the district’s key performance indicators.

Math: administrators said midyear I-Ready results for grades 3–8 placed the district in the 40–49% proficiency band and characterized the pattern as stagnation compared with prior years. Staff outlined four “proven process” levers they said the district controls: high-quality instructional materials (elementary adoption of Bridges, middle grades adoption of Illustrative Mathematics 3.60), professional development and coaching (co-planning and student-centered coaching cycles), frequent formative assessment and data review, and meaningful educator feedback tied to principal observation and coaching. Presenters and board members flagged implementation issues, including a seventh-grade pacing difference that staff said explained a midyear dip (an operations-with-integers unit was taught after the assessment) and the “implementation dip” that can follow a curriculum change.

Reading: the literacy presentation reported midyear gains with notable improvement in grade 3 (midyear proficiency in the mid-50s), and administrators said early-grade investments and recent curriculum and coaching changes were yielding momentum. The district has increased support for early literacy (personalized reading plans for K–3 under Act 20), expanded literacy coaching and common formative assessments, and aligned StudySync implementation for grades 6–8. Administrators said grade 3 midyear results approached end-of-year levels from the prior spring and called the grade 3 trend promising.

Board discussion and concerns Board members and administrators discussed the size and persistence of racial and subgroup gaps. Trustees pressed for trend reporting, clearer disaggregation and analyses of where the instruction is succeeding or falling short, and strategies for schools showing low growth. Doctor Hess and others asked for evidence that the listed interventions are producing results; staff responded that some levers (literacy implementation and coordinated coaching) have produced gains and that similar structures are being applied to math with additional staffing and time this year (for example, a full-time secondary math coordinator). Several trustees said they expect measurable progress within multi-year horizons and asked staff to track classroom-level and school-level supports that are being shifted in real time.

Administration’s next steps Administrators said they will continue monthly common assessments, expand student-centered coaching cycles, and post more detailed data and classroom-level analyses for trustees and education committee members. They also noted the need for additional attention to racial disparity trends where gaps persisted, especially between Black and White students, and committed to follow-up briefings and committee-level deep dives.

(End)