District data show full‑day 4K students outperform half‑day peers on early literacy measures

Presenter (district staff) told the school board the district has four years of data comparing full‑day 4K cohorts with half‑day peers and that, overall, the full‑day students are performing better on early literacy measures. "I think what you'll notice on most of these slides is that our full day 4K students are outperforming our half day 4K students and that they're really hanging on to the learning as time progresses as well," the presenter said.

The findings were based on cohort tracking beginning with the 2021‑22 school year, the presenter said. Students in the district were measured with FastBridge early reading in pre‑K and kindergarten and with AIMSweb Plus (including oral reading fluency) in second grade. The presenter summarized the district's view that the full‑day schedule gives students more practice time on skills introduced during core lessons.

Why it matters: Early reading performance is the basis for required supports and personal reading plans under recent state assessment guidance. The presenter and other staff warned that changes in assessments and cut scores make year‑to‑year comparisons imperfect, but said the pattern favoring full‑day 4K holds across the different tests used.

Key details from the presentation: - Cohort tracking: The district began full‑day 4K four years ago; the first full‑day cohort is now in second grade. The presenter said that cohort initially contained 22 students and that 18 of those students remained in the district records used for the analysis. - Assessments: FastBridge early reading and FastBridge early math were used for 4K and kindergarten comparisons; AIMSweb Plus (including ORF, oral reading fluency) was used in later grades. Staff noted that the tests use different scoring and norming systems, so a jump in students rated below average once the district moved from FastBridge to AIMSweb reflected the test change as well as updated cut scores. - Personal reading plans: Staff described a fall administration of the newer assessment that initially identified more than 300 students districtwide as needing a personal reading plan; after teacher interventions the presenter reported that the number was reduced to 21% of students needing a plan at the time of the presentation. - Behavior data: The presenter said the district started to collect behavior data but found reporting inconsistent across buildings and therefore did not include comparative behavior figures. "Our 4K teachers typically don't use, like, a write up system at all. It's really teaching the behavior in 4K," the presenter said, adding that the district is working to standardize reporting of major versus minor behavior events. - Attendance: The presenter reported attendance was "pretty consistent across the board" between full‑day and half‑day cohorts from 4K through second grade.

Board members asked about curriculum and daily schedules. A board member asked, "Is the curriculum the same, like, the volume of curriculum, or is it safe to say it's half of the curriculum for a half day?" The presenter replied that students receive the same curriculum content but full‑day classes have additional practice time and specials (art, music) that break the day into varied instructional blocks.

Staff described typical full‑day routines — morning group time, small‑group literacy and math, lunch and recess, a rest period in the early years, and afternoon practice sessions — and said families may choose the option that best fits their child because the district offers both half‑ and full‑day 4K.

What the district did not decide: The presentation was informational; the board did not take any formal action on program expansion or funding during the meeting. Staff said they will continue to refine behavior reporting and return with further data.

Ending: The board thanked staff for the report and moved on to the next agenda item.