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Dickinson presenters cite gains in early‑grade reading, outline steps to meet third‑grade proficiency goal
Summary
District staff reported notable gains in kindergarten and first‑grade literacy measures, cited CKLA curriculum fidelity and proposed stronger tiered interventions, progress monitoring and proctor training to meet the board’s third‑grade reading goal.
District staff reported measurable improvement in early‑grade literacy and laid out next steps to reach the board’s goal of grade‑level reading proficiency by the end of third grade.
Tami (presenter), identified in the meeting as a district reading lead, told the Dickinson Public School District No. 1 board that kindergarten letter‑sound fluency rose from roughly 25% (fall) to about 68% (winter 2025) and first‑grade measures showed a roughly 12 percentage‑point increase between fall and winter assessments. Staff also reported smaller gains in second grade and a slight decline in the third‑grade metric presented at the meeting.
The data and its importance
The presenters said the gains support the district’s rollout of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum. They described CKLA’s K–2 approach as an explicit, systematic program that allocates roughly 60 minutes a day to foundational skills, including print and phonological awareness, decoding and writing mechanics. The presenters said fidelity of implementation — using CKLA resources and time as intended — is essential to produce reliable data comparisons across classrooms.
How staff plan to follow up
District staff outlined several concrete next steps: strengthen tier‑2 interventions (small‑group instruction targeted to identified gaps), use common formative assessments (CFAs) to guide instruction, and implement regular progress monitoring to judge whether interventions are working. Staff also proposed embedding daily fluency practice in tier‑1 instruction (partner reading, repeated readings, timed readings) and scaling the rigor of common summative assessments to better prepare students for standardized tests.
Special populations and data caveats
Presenters noted specific work for special education and English‑learner (EL) students. Special education staff are aligning instruction and assessments with IEP goals so the district’s standardized measures better reflect those students’ learning targets. The presenters also said enhanced proctor training aims to reduce variability in test administration that can affect comparative results.
Board members asked about comparing the district’s results with other districts. District staff said the NWEA MAP assessment provides national norms and placement data, but cautioned that districts differ in demographics and student mobility; Dickinson has a high inward and outward migration rate that can depress snapshot achievement levels and complicate direct comparisons. The staff said the district tracks growth over the full academic year (fall to spring) as the primary indicator of progress.
Next milestones and timeline
Staff described short‑term goals to increase fluency and comprehension by spring testing and reiterated the long‑term objective: third‑grade students meeting grade‑level proficiency by the end of third grade through continued data‑driven refinement of interventions.
Ending
Board President and members thanked staff for the report and for the work underway in classrooms.
