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District reports midyear gains on winter formative assessments, highlights third-grade reading progress
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Smith and instructional staff reviewed winter I-Ready formative assessment results showing above‑average math and reading performance in several grades, a district focus on interventions and LETRS training for early literacy, and use of booster groups ahead of March testing.
Doctor Smith, the district superintendent, opened the instructional report and introduced Miss Jody Wright to present winter formative assessment results and intervention plans.
Wright said the district administers I‑Ready three times a year and uses the platform's diagnostic plus a personalized pathway and toolbox for targeted instruction. She said the winter administration (given in December) shows Spartanburg 01 performing above national norms in several grades, and she highlighted third grade reading results: "In third grade ... we are at 60% in the green," Wright said, praising teachers, interventionists and families for the progress. Wright also said several grade-level math results are above national year‑to‑date norms and that fewer students are two or more grade levels below (the district's “reds” are comparatively low).
Wright described how teachers and interventionists break down the measures by domain (for reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension of fiction and nonfiction) and use the platform to generate small-group rosters and lesson plans. She said teachers can assign virtual practice and that interventionists sometimes push into classrooms or pull small groups for additional instruction. Wright noted teacher use of the toolbox for math as well.
Wright tied the assessment work to state accountability: SC Ready testing begins March 17 and runs to March 28 (with a final testing window through May 1). She said the district typically sees a "big bump" in scores in March after booster groups and targeted interventions. Wright also referenced South Carolina's Read to Succeed retention statute when describing third-grade reading supports and credited interventionists for reducing the number of students who might face mandatory retention.
Asked about early grades, Wright said kindergarten is assessed for readiness and that the district is increasing phonics and phonemic-awareness training in K–2; she identified LETRS training as an ongoing professional development priority to support early literacy.
On summer supports, Wright said the district offers summer learning targeted at second and third graders (attendance has been a challenge), a "countdown to kindergarten" program for K‑4 to K‑5 transition, and limited summer camps for middle grades based on student need.
Wright and Dr. Smith said the district will continue to disaggregate results by subgroup (including students with IEPs and multilingual learners) to identify students needing additional interventions. Wright closed by saying the district will share deeper, student‑level data in future briefings and that teachers are already using the platform to generate instructional next steps.
Wright invited questions; board members asked about the timing of gains (March), the ability to drill into domain-level weaknesses, and how intervention minutes are scheduled. Wright cited the South Carolina requirement for 90 minutes of ELA instruction with an additional 30 minutes for students off grade level as the basis for scheduling intervention blocks and "focus time" in school schedules.
Ending: District leaders said they will return with more detailed, school‑level and demographic data in future meetings and will report on spring testing results after the March administration.
