Lakeland presents midyear benchmark findings; administrators outline supports before April TCAP

Matt Adler, Lakeland School System director of data, assessment and accountability, told the Lakeland School Board on Feb. 5 that the district’s December Benchmark 2 data show overall progress in many grades and subjects but also identified clear areas that need targeted support.

The presentation summarized the benchmark window (closed Dec. 11), the grades tested (2–11) and tested subjects (ELA, math, science and social studies; EOCs include Algebra I, English I/II and biology). "Benchmark data is a snapshot in time of how our students are progressing towards goals," Adler said, adding that the system gives teachers projected achievement levels, probability-of-success estimates and item analyses to guide instruction.

Adler said the new standards-proficiency ranking report lets teachers rank standards from most to least successful and examine item-level difficulty across benchmarks. "This gives good insight because if a standard was tested multiple times on one benchmark, you can see, OK, if the standard success went down, why did it go down?" he said.

Nut Graf: The district reported gains in several elementary grades and content areas but flagged grade-3 ELA, grade-6 ELA and some middle/high school math pacing issues as priorities. Administrators recommended continuing PLC (professional learning community) work, monitoring pacing to ensure standards are taught before assessments, and using targeted interventions for students not meeting projections.

Key findings and context - Elementary ELA: Grades 2–4 showed improvement from Benchmark 1 to Benchmark 2. Adler noted grade 2’s unusually high previous-year achievement is an anomaly to watch. For grade 3 ELA, Lakeland was 13.5 percentage points from the school-plan success goal at Benchmark 2; grade 4 narrowed its gap from 13.5 to 7.8 points. - Middle grades ELA: Mixed results. Grade 6 showed little change and was identified as needing extra support; grades 5 and 7 showed improvement, and grade 8 momentum was improving. - Math: Grades 2–4 showed gains; grade 3 math had been especially strong last year and the school-plan goal is high. Grade 4 math had already exceeded its goal by Benchmark 2. Grades 5–8 showed uneven movement, with algebra pacing and placement cited as explanations for some lower results. - EOCs: English I met expectations for many students (Adler cited 43% meeting/exceeding projections on one slide); English II dipped slightly, with teacher turnover offered as a possible factor. Algebra I and geometry showed mixed results tied to pacing and course placement. - Science and social studies: Mixed across grades; biology success rates met school-plan goals after Benchmark 1 and dipped slightly at Benchmark 2 but remained near goals. US History participation may change because of anticipated shifts to dual enrollment, which would remove some students from the EOC pool.

Instructional responses and supports Adler and district staff described multiple supports already in place: distribution of prior-year TCAP scores and projected percentiles to teachers; probability-of-success metrics for projecting students likely to reach a 3 or higher; item-level and standards-proficiency reports for PLC use; vertical alignment days for math; math intellectual-prep days; math "walks" with a state math consultant; and revised pacing calendars in content PLCs.

On interventions and scheduling, Ms. Deloso, an instructional supervisor, described how the high school uses credited intervention classes and a variety of before- and after-school tutoring, plus schedule adjustments when students need different pathways. "Students can go in and out of intervention if they need to," Deloso said, noting counselors and teachers monitor grades and benchmark data to identify needs.

Board questions and clarifications Michelle Childs, the board’s legislative liaison, asked whether shifts to dual enrollment would reduce the number of students taking a US History EOC; Adler and district staff confirmed that students enrolled in dual enrollment or AP courses may not take the state EOC, which will change the tested pool and reported counts for the district.

Deborah Thomas asked about universal screening and PLC time for teachers to share successful strategies. Adler described the new item-ranking report as a facilitation tool that has encouraged cross-classroom conversations: "If my kids are mastering a standard and your kids aren't, what's the difference?" Adler said, adding that teachers are increasingly sharing strategies in PLCs.

Upcoming dates and next steps Adler said Benchmark 3 will open in late February and that benchmark and TCAP overviews will be presented in early April. He reminded the board that TCAP testing begins April 16. The superintendent and instructional leaders will continue to monitor pacing, refine intervention rosters, and provide PLC supports.

Ending: The board had no further questions and thanked Adler for the presentation. The district will return with Benchmark 3 results and final TCAP data after testing.