Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Assessments Attendance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District reports modest I-Ready gains; board presses for higher participation and attendance
Summary
I-Ready diagnostic results show small increases in on-grade performance but high 'level not determined' rates; board members pressed for strategies to raise test participation, especially in middle and high school, and for cohort-level data to track progress.
District assessment staff presented mid-year I‑Ready diagnostic results showing modest gains in math and reading alongside continued challenges with participation and attendance.
Anthony Taylor, the coordinator for data and assessment, told the board that mathematics on-grade-level performance rose from 9% in the fall to 12% in the winter (roughly 146 to 215 students), and reading on-grade-level rose from 13% to 21% in the same period. Taylor also flagged that about 32% of students were coded as "level not determined" (LND) because they did not take the assessment, a figure the presentation attributed primarily to absences and scheduling gaps.
Board members and staff discussed specific strategies to raise participation: treating I‑Ready testing windows like core testing days with centralized testing rooms; more make-up sessions; building-level outreach; and increasing parental engagement through the district portal. Taylor noted parents can use the I‑Ready at‑home portal but that portal usage was low — about 200 families had accessed it out of roughly 2,800 district families.
MTSS and attendance: Board members tied participation to attendance patterns. Passion Bragg Hathorn, the MTSS interventionist, described the tiered framework: about 80% of students receive universal (Tier 1) supports; Tier 2 provides targeted interventions; and roughly 3–5% of students are Tier 3 and receive the most intensive wraparound services. Hathorn said the district will continue partnering with outside providers for mental‑health and trauma-related support.
Why it matters: Gains on diagnostics were welcomed by trustees as early indicators of academic movement, but trustees emphasized that nonparticipation undermines the tests’ usefulness for targeting interventions. Several trustees requested cohort-level tracking (for example, following a third-grade cohort through later grades) and school-by-school breakdowns so the board can align resources to highest-need buildings.
Clarifying details: Taylor said fall-to-winter math on-grade-level went from 9% (about 146 students) to 12% (about 215 students). In reading, on-grade-level moved from 13% to 21% (numbers presented in the meeting). Staff said they will use analytics tools (PowerSchool Analytics) to provide more disaggregated cohort and school-level reports.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to return with more detailed cohort and school-level analysis, a plan to raise portal and parent engagement, and monthly updates about efforts to reduce LND counts and improve participation.
