Lake Pend Oreille district reports broad year-end gains on reading and state tests

Lake Pend Oreille School District trustees heard a preliminary year‑end data report showing large gains in early reading and improvements on statewide tests, district staff said.

The presentation focused on the Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) for kindergarten through third grade, district staff said, and highlighted that kindergarten proficiency ended at 92 percent and that K–3 proficiency was about 79 percent this spring (up from 75 percent a year earlier). “We ended at 92% proficient for those early learners,” the presenter said. The presenter added the district’s goal is 80 percent and noted the K–3 spring figure is near that target but remains subject to state finalization.

District leaders said the gains are visible across subgroups and grade cohorts. The presenter pointed to cohort growth at the high school level — the 11th grade cohort showed a 5 percentage‑point gain in English language arts from the prior reported year — and cited Sandpoint High School’s reported increases of 13 percentage points in ELA and 15 points in science year‑over‑year. On the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), the presenter said the district tied or exceeded the statewide proficiency rate in every tested grade and subject; as one example the presenter compared 56 percent proficiency in 7th‑grade math for the district to 43 percent statewide and 70 percent ELA proficiency for the district versus 56 percent statewide.

Staff also highlighted other district measures connected to student success and safety: the one‑trusted‑adult initiative (baseline 91.57 percent in the fall to 99.36 percent this most recent survey) and attendance gains at multiple schools (Sagle Elementary’s first‑semester attendance rose from 93 percent to 98 percent when comparing the two years used in the district’s analysis). Sandpoint High School’s cohort attendance figures were presented as 89 percent in 2022–23, 95.8 percent the next year and 96.7 percent this year.

The presenter cautioned the numbers are preliminary and may change when the state finalizes spring results. No formal action was taken on the data; trustees received the report and asked clarifying questions about cohort tracking and how attendance intersects with state funding formulas.

District staff said the year’s results reflect district initiatives — reading interventions, a leadership focus on elementary math, and student‑connection efforts — and staff thanked teachers, leaders and families for the gains. The superintendent and board indicated they will share the finalized state data when available and continue monitoring cohort outcomes and subgroup performance.