Anchorage School District presents mixed third‑grade reading catch‑up results; administration points to interventions and curriculum

At its June 3 meeting the Anchorage School District Board received a goal‑monitoring report focused on early reading proficiency for third graders. The report tracked an interim target (percentage of grade‑3 students below the 40th percentile in the fall who achieved “catch up growth” by spring) and longer‑range AK STAR proficiency goals.

The monitoring materials show the district’s interim goal (1.3) for MAP growth rising from 39.8% in 2023 to a target of 45% in 2028; AK STAR proficiency is projected to rise from 32.4 to 46.4 by May 2028. District staff cautioned that the MAP‑based catch‑up metric covers only the subset of third graders who began the year below the 40th percentile and who took both assessments.

Nicole Somerville, director of teaching and learning for elementary, explained the measure: “This particular set of data is looking specifically at our students that at the beginning of the year, were performing below benchmark, specifically our third graders.” Somerville and Deanna Carroll, director of assessment and evaluation, said the metric measures whether students made roughly a year’s worth of progress in one school year. They emphasized that some students may show foundation‑level gains (phonics, decoding) that do not immediately translate into full catch‑up on a comprehension‑focused MAP test.

Board member Lessons said his closer look at subgroup trends suggested the largest declines in catch‑up growth were among Black and Hispanic students, and among English‑learner and special‑education students. District leaders acknowledged those subgroup differences and said targeted interventions remain important.

District staff described the multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS) used across schools: universal (Tier 1) grade‑level instruction for all students, benchmark screening three times a year, and increasingly intensive small‑group or specialist interventions for students who do not respond to core instruction. Staff noted that intervention work for younger students often focuses on phonics and decoding while older students may need comprehension‑level supports. The district also noted rollout of research‑based instructional materials (for example, CKLA in upper elementary) and professional learning for teachers.

Board members and the student representative discussed potential correlations between attendance and growth; staff said ASD had not yet run that specific attendance correlation for the catch‑up group but could do so upon request. Member Lessons referenced national research showing disproportionate pandemic impacts on the youngest learners and urged sustained, targeted interventions for students who experienced early learning disruptions.

Ending: the board accepted the technical monitoring materials and asked administration to respond to follow‑up requests, including subgroup trend details and a possible attendance‑achievement correlation analysis.