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District staff outlines iRead testing rollout for second and third graders, raises concerns about stigma and consistency
Summary
At the Feb. 11 meeting, staff reviewed the iRead assessment schedule for second and third graders, shared participation and pass rates from last year, discussed instructional preparation and small-group testing strategies, and addressed concerns about possible stigma and transient student populations.
District staff provided a detailed briefing on the iRead state assessment and the district's preparations for second- and third-grade students during the Feb. 11 School Town Speedway board meeting.
The staff presentation said iRead (formerly iRead 3) testing will begin within a window starting in March and run through April 14; the district expects this is the first year it will have a subset of students who already passed the assessment as second graders and therefore will not participate again that year. Staff reported that last year 118 second graders were tested and 62 passed (about 53 percent), while 100 of 110 third graders passed (about 91 percent).
The briefing described shifts in state policy: previously, third graders who did not meet proficiency could receive “good cause” exemptions and advance; current policy requires students who do not pass to retake the assessment in subsequent years (fourth grade and beyond) until they pass, though the district can still apply good-cause exemptions when appropriate. District staff said the second-grade opt-in was new and that their intent is to use second-grade testing as an early indicator to guide instruction and remediation before third grade.
Board members asked about district-wide consistency in preparation. Staff said schools are using a range of approaches — some emphasize Orton-Gillingham (OG) methods and others deploy more test-like preparation — and that the district will review the results to identify best practices. To reduce testing stress and support students who did not previously pass, staff described using small-group testing and targeted remediation; summer-school remediation will include an end-of-program test opportunity.
Board members also raised concerns about possible stigma for students who already passed versus those who did not and the effect of a transient student population on comparable results across years. Staff said they had not heard reports of stigmatization, noted the district's transient population affects longitudinal tracking, and said teachers plan to avoid public grouping that would identify which students passed or failed.
District staff committed to reviewing the iRead results after testing to evaluate methods and consider whether district guidance should be adjusted for greater consistency.
Provenance: this article summarizes the presentation and the questions and answers recorded in the meeting transcript; the principal presenter is identified in the transcript as “Mr. Disney,” and board members' questions are recorded in the public record.
