District posts mixed assessment results; leaders flag math as priority as iLearn/iPad changes approach

Northwest Allen County Schools presented recent student assessment results on July 21, reporting modest district‑level gains in English language arts and mixed results in mathematics, and outlined next steps for local assessment strategy as the state moves to new iLearn checkpoints.

Doctor Toler, a staff member presenting achievement updates, said the district’s overall iLearn pass rate rose 2 percentage points year over year and that language arts showed measurable cohort growth at several grade levels. "That number is 2% higher than last year," he said of the districtwide iLearn pass rate, and noted the district is in the top 12% of the state for ELA performance. For math, the district’s pass rate (49%) places it in the top 23% of the state, but Toler and other staff said math remains the district’s primary area for improvement because of grade‑to‑grade declines in some cohorts.

Toler summarized NWEA (MAP) achievement and growth distributions, noting strong movement of students into higher achievement percentiles in reading and language usage. "To see a 10% change and move 10% of our kids up into those higher percentile groups on achievement, that's a large number of students," he said. For math, he said the district saw smaller growth and a dip in students in the highest growth percentile group.

District staff discussed how assessment practice may change: the Indiana Department of Education is rolling out iLearn checkpoints designed to align with standards and allow targeted retesting on standards; at the same time, state funding for the district’s use of NWEA is being reduced to cover only up to 10% of students in grades 3–8 next year (funding will continue for K–2). Toler said the district will continue NWEA for K–8 during the coming year while it monitors checkpoint rollout and state funding; he called the DOE checkpoints “a positive direction” but said the district must balance testing frequency and usefulness for teachers.

At the high‑school level, the district reported a 94.12% graduation rate (2024), stronger SAT English (EBRW) benchmarks with 76% meeting the benchmark (a 7‑point gain), weaker SAT math results (37% met benchmark, down 5 points) and strong AP outcomes (87% of AP students scored a 3 or higher on AP exams; a department had 100% pass rate on a Spanish AP exam this year).

Staff said next steps include targeted work on math fundamentals, assessment cadence decisions (how often to administer diagnostic measures), and use of intervention tools purchased or funded through recent grants. The district emphasized a planned focus on number sense, math facts and intervention minutes at elementary levels.

Ending: District leaders said they will report additional data when embargoed iRead scores are released and will bring updated assessment plans to the board for discussion in August.