Anchorage School District reviews math proficiency goals; staff point to MyPath use and targeted supports

Anchorage School District leaders told the school board on May 20 that district data show progress on the board’s multi‑year math proficiency goals but also flagged areas that need closer study, including a drop in catch‑up growth for one sixth‑grade cohort.

The monitoring report presented the board’s math target and interim goals and described program-level supports the district is using to accelerate students who begin the year below benchmark. District staff also identified time in elementary schedules and classroom implementation as constraints the district is working to address.

Why it matters: The board’s long‑range goal is to raise the percentage of eighth graders proficient on the state summative assessment (AK STAR) from 34.5% in May 2023 to 41.5% in May 2028. An interim metric uses MAP Growth catch‑up growth for grades 3–8: the target is to increase the share of students who start below the 40th percentile and achieve catch‑up growth from 29.4% in spring 2023 to 39% in spring 2028. The district uses those MAP results to guide curriculum and intervention planning.

District staff told the board they are combining several tactics: high‑quality core instruction, targeted interventions for students who start the year behind, professional learning for teachers, and more intentional use of assessment and classroom observations to align instruction to student needs. Staff described work in professional learning communities (PLCs), classroom “snapshots” and a cohort of 10 K–8 schools receiving targeted data dives and supports.

On digital tools and minutes: Staff described the I‑Ready product and its MyPath personalized instructional pathway. "The median students who met their personalized instructional recommended minutes, which is 30 plus minutes a week, achieved 113% of their annual typical growth goal," said Nicole Somerville, a district staff member working with elementary schools. Staff said students who used MyPath for 10–29 minutes a week achieved about 94% of their typical goal. School leaders and staff told the board these digital minutes are helpful but that teacher‑led instruction and classroom discourse remain the primary vehicle for mathematics learning.

Schedule and instruction constraints: Elementary schools reported recommended math block lengths of 75–85 minutes but are operating closer to 60 minutes because of time given to recess, lunch and competing instructional priorities. Staff warned that finding intervention time for students who are behind is difficult when students also need reading intervention.

Supports and pilots: District staff said some schools use addendum or federal funds (Title I and other federal programs) to pay for after‑school tutoring or additional intervention time. The district plans a pilot to enable certain Spanish‑speaking families to access MyPath and checks for understanding in Spanish at home while primary instruction remains in English. Staff said that pilot aims to help newcomer families and students whose primary language is Spanish access practice and parent resources.

Sixth‑grade dip: Board members asked about a notable net decline in catch‑up growth for the district’s current sixth‑grade cohort compared with the same cohort when they were fifth graders. District staff confirmed the group showed lower catch‑up growth and said the cause is not yet certain; they noted that mobility and school transitions can cause transitional dips and said they will investigate further, including comparing cohorts and school placements to identify drivers.

Training and classroom practice: The district described an emphasis on embedding high‑leverage practices in professional learning — behavior, routines and classroom management alongside math pedagogy — and on building principal and teacher capacity to use diagnostic data to drive instruction. Staff noted classroom discourse and manipulatives remain central to instruction and that the digital MyPath work complements, but does not replace, teacher‑led lessons.

Next steps: The district will continue targeted supports for the 10‑school cohort, expand classroom walkthroughs and snapshots to monitor implementation fidelity, pilot Spanish language access for MyPath at home, and report back on investigations into the sixth‑grade decline.

Ending note: Board members praised areas of improvement but emphasized the need for continued monitoring of implementation fidelity, deeper study of the sixth‑grade cohort, and clear plans to protect instructional minutes for math and reading.