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District winter benchmarks: reading growth in-year but not yet shifting systemwide; math shows stronger gains
Summary
District staff presented winter benchmark results showing in-year reading growth across most elementary grades but little year-over-year improvement; math results showed more pronounced system movement.
District assessment staff member Kevin presented the Kuna Joint District's winter benchmark results to the board on Feb. 14, reporting growth from fall to winter in both reading and math while cautioning the board that year-over-year systemwide gains had been limited in reading.
Kevin told trustees that beginning-of-year (fall) benchmarks showed roughly 50–62% of elementary students at grade-level (tier 1) depending on grade. By the winter benchmark window the district had moved many students into the tier-1 band; Kevin summarized the winter snapshot as generally in the mid-60s as a percentage proficient in many grades and noted an earlier district statement of K–5 proficiency near 74% as a point of comparison.
He explained the district uses Istation (benchmark) measures and a tiered system: tier 1 (on grade level), tier 2 (below grade level but within one year) and tier 3 (two or more years below). Kevin noted that a decrease in the tier-3 share is a common board-level indicator of successful intervention, while tier-2 movements can reflect upward movement or students shifting from more intensive tiers.
On reading: Kevin said most grades showed meaningful within-year gains (fall to winter) though he and trustees noted second grade had less movement than other grades. He illustrated district-level rate-of-improvement categories provided by Istation (typical, high/stretch) and said the tier-2 group showed relatively strong growth in the winter window — a sign that those students might reach proficiency by year-end if growth continues.
On math: Kevin reported about a 9-percentage-point gain in proficiency from fall to winter across K–8 math benchmarks, representing roughly 700 students moving into the grade-level band. He displayed growth-versus-performance quadrant charts the curriculum partner supplies and said district schools were shifting toward higher-growth, higher-performance quadrants in math — a pattern he described as “moving the system.”
Curriculum and interventions: Kevin said the district uses National Geographic Reach for Reading as the primary K–5 curriculum and supplements it (for example Heggerty for phonics in K–2) to address gaps identified by the science of reading. He told trustees staff are preparing a K–5 curriculum adoption process to consider updated materials aligned with the science of reading and asked the board for participant volunteers for an adoption committee that will include parents and at least one board member.
Mandates and supports: Kevin reiterated that students identified as below proficiency must be provided targeted interventions. He and board members discussed typical interventions (in-class supplemental time, pull-out targeted instruction, instructional coaching) and the resource implications for tier-2 and tier-3 students.
Ending: Kevin said he will present secondary data (middle and high school) at the March meeting and that staff will share the full slide deck and school-by-school reports with the board.
