District presents Evaluate data: ELA growth steady, math improvement uneven; administrators pushing curricular unit planning

District instructional staff presented January and February Evaluate snapshots showing mixed results across grade levels: ELA measures showed consistent growth while math performance lagged overall but showed strong gains in specific grades.

Annie (instructional staff) told the board that Evaluate data show 36% of tested standards in math scoring at advanced or proficient at the time of the snapshot, while ELA showed roughly 50% at advanced or proficient in the same snapshot. Annie highlighted strong second‑grade and seventh‑grade math performance, saying second grade had reached a “76%” snapshot in February for a recent cohort and that seventh‑grade math had shown an 11% month‑to‑month growth figure.

Why it matters: the board heard administrators’ approach to improving scores — aligning unit plans to the state priority standards, using common formative assessments, and treating textbooks as resources rather than the curriculum. Administrators said they are working to identify which resources align to assessed standards and to replicate practices from higher‑performing grade levels across the district.

Details and context

Presenters displayed screen views from the Evaluate platform and discussed how teachers and principals can drill into strand‑level and item‑level data to adjust instruction. Examples cited included using the Evaluate question wheel to identify standards that underperformed in a given unit and revising unit pacing and content accordingly.

Administrators said some high‑school EOC courses test only Algebra I/II or English I/II and that alignment issues in textbook resources have prompted the district to assemble unit plans tied specifically to state priority standards. The district described ongoing PD and collaboration time aimed at sustained improvement and said high‑school and elementary interventions differ because testing frameworks vary by grade band.

Next steps

Administrators said they will continue to administer Evaluate in March (and sometimes in April/May at elementary grades), monitor progress on PD and unit plan implementation, and begin instructional support changes to better align high‑school curricula with tested standards.

Quotes

“36%... that is showing advanced or proficient” (math); “50% of our students are performing advanced or proficient” (ELA); “We’re focusing on ensuring standards are being taught, assessed, and monitored.” — Annie (instructional staff).