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Pembroke Elementary reports mixed test gains, cites attendance and targeted interventions
Summary
Pembroke Elementary presented state test results showing gains in some grades and subjects, rising attendance and declines in chronic absenteeism, and described school-level steps to strengthen reading, math and tiered supports.
Pembroke Elementary school leaders summarized student performance, attendance trends and several classroom interventions during the Danbury Board of Education meeting.
The presentation, led by Dr. Perez, outlined last school year’s state accountability results and current in-year benchmark data, and said the school is emphasizing tiered instruction, small-group teaching and data-driven planning to raise proficiency.
The presentation matters because it links classroom practice and near-term benchmark data with state accountability measures used by the district and shows where school-level supports may be focused going forward.
Dr. Perez told the board that Pembroke served about 367 learners and that “We have about 112 MLO learners, so roughly around 31% of our population are MLO students.” She reported demographic counts and said the school’s Next Generation Accountability index reached 61.4% in 2023–24 after a recent uptick.
On state testing, Dr. Perez showed mixed results: third-grade English language arts proficiency rose from 19% (2022–23) to 28% (2023–24) while fourth-grade ELA proficiency fell from 26% to 19% over the same interval; fifth-grade ELA rose from 18% to 25%. Math performance was generally stronger: third-grade math proficiency moved from 33% (2022–23) to 30% (2023–24), while one cohort’s fourth-grade math rose from 23% to 37%. Dr. Perez cautioned that cohort comparisons are “rough cohorting” and cannot definitively track individual students year-to-year.
On literacy benchmarks the school reported progress on the DIBELS and I-Ready measures. Dr. Perez said Pembroke reduced the share of students scoring at the beginning level on DIBELS from roughly 27% (2022–23) to about 20% (2023–24), and reported average percent target achieved on a literacy measure rising from about 49% to 73% year over year. She added that oral scores improved from roughly 52% target achieved to about 62%.
Attendance and chronic absenteeism were a focus: Dr. Perez reported a district-provided attendance rate increase from about 93% to 94% and a drop in chronic absenteeism from about 19% to roughly 16% in 2023–24; current mid-year attendance stood near 94.13% with a current absenteeism rate of about 15%.
To build on gains, Dr. Perez described school actions: (1) strengthening tier‑1 ELA instruction and rolling out a K–5 core curriculum; (2) more frequent progress monitoring (DIBELS progress monitoring and I-Ready standard mastery assessments for grades 3–5); (3) expanded PLC time so teachers update and act on real-time data; and (4) intentional supports in whole-group and small-group instruction.
School staff and student representatives also summarized extracurriculars and school culture initiatives, including a PBIS token economy (“Pembroke Bucks”), a student leadership group, a spelling bee, chess club, math support groups and upcoming family events.
Board members thanked the presenters and noted the visible staff engagement with data and improvement work. The school’s presenters said current midyear results were similar to last year’s midyear pattern and expressed confidence that end‑of‑year outcomes could show additional growth.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; it served as informational briefing and context for school‑level supports and upcoming district planning.
