CFISD reports measurable reading gains; district plans campus follow-up for students below expected learning rate

CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD — The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District on Wednesday presented year-one formative assessment results tied to the district's five-year strategic plan, showing measurable growth for many early-grade readers while underscoring hundreds of students who remain below the expected learning rate.

Dr. Tanya Gorrie, the district presenter, told the board the report covers strategic-plan goals 5 and 6, which focus on students in grades 1'3 who did not meet the prior end-of-year RIT score and students in grades 4'5 who scored below "approaches" on STAR ELA. "This graphic summarizes data for first and second grade students who did not meet the end of year RIT score in 2024 and were below grade level standard at the beginning of the school year," Gorrie said during the presentation.

Why it matters: District staff said the results indicate progress from the first year of targeted interventions while flagging groups that will need continued, targeted support as they move to middle school.

Key findings and context - For grades 1 and 2, the district reported a combined cohort of 2,329 students who had ARM (Amira) scores across four marking periods. Of that cohort, 27 percent (623 students) remained below the expected learning rate; 73 percent showed measurable growth and 556 students in that group (about 27 percent of the cohort) already met the district's five-year ARM goal. - For grades 3'5, the district reported 3,293 students in the cohort; 68 percent of those students were still below the expected learning rate compared to peers, though 31 percent reached STAAR "approaches" or higher this year. District staff summarized that, overall, 42 percent of students who failed to meet the prior-year RIT or STAR were able to pass the STAR reading assessment this year. - The presentation emphasized the difference between "below expected learning rate" (a norm-referenced Amira description) and "not reading." As Gorrie explained, these students are "still learning," but at a pace below their peers.

Trustee response and next steps Board members praised teachers and campus staff for the gains and pressed district staff on how the students who remain below the expected rate will be supported in middle school. The district said it will share the individual student lists with next-year campuses so receiving schools can plan interventions. Trustees also asked for further, disaggregated analysis to measure the effects of the district's Science of Teaching Reading rollout across early-adopter and later-adopter campuses.

Direct quote "This graphic summarizes data for first and second grade students who did not meet the end of year RIT score in 2024 and were below grade level standard at the beginning of the school year," Dr. Tanya Gorrie said.

What the district will do next District staff said they will dig deeper into the data, disaggregate it by campus and cohort, and report back to the board and at committee meetings on how Science of Teaching Reading implementation correlates with the gains reported in year one. Staff also noted STAR results presented tonight were preliminary and that final STAR data will be available in August.

Ending note Trustees characterized the results as important early progress while emphasizing that the work must continue, particularly for older elementary students who are nearing the transition to middle school and for whom recovery of reading skills is more difficult.