Fillmore Unified midyear I‑Ready report shows pockets of growth, district to focus on classroom instruction

At the March 4 Fillmore Unified School District board meeting, district educational services staff presented midyear I‑Ready diagnostic results for grades K–8 and outlined targeted supports after the winter administration.

The district’s midyear snapshot showed some accelerated gains among students who started the year multiple grade levels below, while several grade bands — and the transition from elementary to middle school — showed limited progress. Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Isaac Huang said the district uses multiple measures “so we get a more accurate, well rounded picture of how our students are performing.”

Kelsey, an educational services staff member who led the data walk, said I‑Ready is criterion‑referenced to the Common Core and provides individualized growth targets that staff use to plan interventions. The presentation noted that the district measures students’ progress toward two growth targets: a typical growth goal and a higher “stretch” growth goal intended to put below‑grade‑level students on a path toward proficiency.

Key findings presented to the board included: - Some elementary cohorts showed year‑over‑year gains in reading; one cohort was highlighted for moving more students into the early‑to‑mid and above grade‑level bands. The district also reported a multi‑year overall increase in some ELA measures. - In math, sixth grade showed a notable decline in the percentage of students in the lowest category, dropping from 36% to 25% (an 11 percentage‑point improvement) over three years; other grades showed stagnation. - Median growth toward the district’s stretch goals at midyear was cited in the high‑20s to low‑30s percent range (the presentation used median students as the metric). Staff emphasized that students who began the year two or more grade levels below were, in many cases, making the most accelerated progress toward their stretch targets.

District next steps described to trustees include: midyear data‑analysis training for teachers and site administrators, targeted demonstration lessons by TOSAs (district instructional coaches), PLC coaching, UCLA learning labs and math meetups, and continued work with the P‑3 early math initiative. Huang told the board the district will also focus on strengthening Tier‑1 classroom instruction so grade‑level students continue to progress while students below grade level receive acceleration.

Trustees asked for timing and alignment with state testing; staff said the spring I‑Ready diagnostic will occur in April ahead of CAASPP and that the district will compare those results to the state assessment to refine instructional priorities. Trustee questions emphasized staying the course on multi‑year plans rather than making short‑term shifts.

The district framed the presentation as an informational midyear check‑in; no board action was required.

Ending: Staff said they will return with updated spring diagnostic results and site‑level action plans after the April administration.