Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District assessment data: mixed results with pockets of growth; WIDA and Acadiance gains noted
Summary
Assessment staff told the board that district growth percentiles show pockets of strong progress and that k'2 results on Acadience rose modestly. WIDA (English-language acquisition) showed an increase in identified ELL students and notable fourth-grade growth; some statewide ELA results were not yet released.
Patrick Jeffries, the district's assessment and evaluation director, presented 2024'25 and 2025 assessment results aligned to Pillar 2 of the strategic plan and highlighted mixed academic outcomes across grades and schools.
Jeffries said median growth percentiles (MGPs) show some schools registering above-expected growth and noted that several high-poverty schools posted year-over-year growth gains even while proficiency remained low, a pattern the presenter said is common during accelerated-improvement phases. He highlighted specific high-growth examples (Indian Hills was cited as a school with notable MGP increases) and explained that percentile-based growth measures are relative and can move as other schools' performance changes.
Key points and measures: Jeffries reported a district-level rise in Acadience (k' reading) on-grade-level rates from about 42.7% to 45.4% and said five schools achieved state recognition for more than 70% of students reading on grade level (Bonneville, Ensign, Indian Hills, UNTA and Wasatch). He described year-to-year changes in RISE (Utah's standardized K'2 assessment) and said the state had not yet released 2025 ELA growth data but anticipated it later in the fall or winter.
WIDA and English learners: Jeffries said the district's English-language-learner population has increased in both absolute numbers and percentage even as overall enrollment declined; WIDA outcomes show improved growth for some cohorts and particularly strong fourth-grade gains against growth targets. He said roughly two-thirds of students who meet growth targets show stronger productive language outcomes (speaking, writing) as they move through school.
College-readiness measures: Jeffries reviewed Aspire Plus (9th and 10th grade) and ACT results and said the district's reading/ELA performance at the high school level was comparatively strong on the ACT; he noted pockets of improvement for multi-language learners and students with disabilities on some measures.
Board follow-up requests: Trustees asked for school-level data for specific high schools (East High was requested) and asked district leaders to return with more explicit links between the assessment results and the strategic-plan interventions used to produce gains. Jeffries and Dr. Grant said the district will bring more detailed, school-level data and tie it more closely to the strategic-plan strategies in a follow-up briefing after the state's ELA release.
Ending: The board asked the district to return with more detailed school-level outcomes and a clearer description of which interventions appear to be driving growth.
