Wichita schools say high school postsecondary-asset goal met; district outlines ACT, WorkKeys, and K-8 progress and next steps

District staff presented an interim update on Strategic Plan Goal 1 at the March 3 meeting, reporting that the district achieved its short-term high school target for students earning a postsecondary asset and outlining next steps for sustaining growth.

High school interim goal and outcome

Staff framed the high school interim goal as: increase the percentage of unique students scoring a 21 or higher on the ACT or scoring silver or higher on ACT WorkKeys from an initial baseline (previously reported as 34.2%) to 37.7% by spring 2025. Lauren Hatfield (presenter) said a state "backflow" of ACT data adjusted the earlier baseline to about 33.8% but that the district still chose 37.7% as the target. Presenters reported the district met and modestly exceeded the one-year target for spring 2025: board discussion referenced a district-level rate "around 39 to 40 percent" of unique students earning a postsecondary asset (either ACT 21+ or WorkKeys silver+).

WorkKeys and ACT explained

Presenters explained the difference between the ACT and the ACT WorkKeys: the ACT is used as a college-readiness measure (a composite of section scores; a 21 composite corresponds to college-readiness benchmarks), while WorkKeys measures workplace skills across three sections (applied math, workplace documents and graphic literacy) and classifies results on a 0—7 level scale (silver or higher on all three sections is the district's postsecondary asset threshold). Staff said WorkKeys is job-readiness oriented and that silver corresponds to readiness for roughly 67% of jobs; bronze corresponds to about 16% of jobs, gold to 93% and platinum to 99% per the vendor research cited by staff.

Planned changes to ACT and implications

Staff warned the board that the ACT will change in April: science will become optional, composites will average three rather than four sections, the test will shorten and the math format will change (five answer choices to four). They said the changes will shorten testing time and reduce the sections used in the composite score, and cautioned that comparing pre- and post-change scores will require care.

Elementary and middle interim goals and winter results

Elementary: the third-grade A reading interim goal is to reduce the percentage of students below benchmark from 56.5% to 53% by spring 2025. Staff reported a winter figure of 61.9% not at benchmark (a district decline from the fall baseline). They said 15 elementary schools have reached the year-end target and seven schools have shown growth but not yet met the target. Staff attributed the district decline to a shorter screening window this year (fall screening pushed back two weeks, shortening instruction time between fall and winter), adoption of a new tier-3 intervention curriculum (Really Great Reading) with a learning curve, and differences between discrete skill screeners and more complex comprehension assessments. Staff said they are rolling out volume 2 of a structured literacy program to address language comprehension and vocabulary.

Middle school: the eighth-grade A math interim goal is to reduce the percentage below benchmark from 63% to 59.5% by spring 2025. Staff reported fall-to-winter improvement from 68.1% not proficient to 66.7% not proficient, with 13 middle schools making progress and about five or six moving in the wrong direction. Staff cited new core and intervention curriculum adoptions (including IXL for interventions), tech deployment timing in 1:1 schools, and recommended continuing professional learning and data analysis supports for teachers and instructional coaches.

Operational notes and next steps

Staff outlined next steps including a district rollout of a structured literacy vocabulary routine in 2025-26, targeted score-analysis and advocacy lessons for ACT and WorkKeys, more family and student communication about the value of both assessments, and possible use of a limited number of extra free ACT licenses the state may provide next year to encourage retests for students close to benchmarks.

Why it matters: The update ties directly to the district's strategic plan target to raise the graduation rate from 79.2% to 85% by 2029; the high-school interim metric (postsecondary assets) is used to measure college- and career-readiness. Elementary and middle results inform interventions that affect long-term graduation prospects.

Board questions and clarifications

Board members asked for clarifications about "unique students" (district staff explained a unique student is counted once even if they take both tests), retake frequency and participation rates, and expressed interest in increasing participation in both assessments. Staff committed to follow-up on several data requests, including the number of students who take the ACT more than once.