Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Literacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kyrene board reviews early-literacy data; district doubles down on DIBELS, LETRS and smaller K–2 classes
Summary
At a Dec. data retreat the Kyrene Elementary District reviewed district-assessment results, highlighted growth in kindergarten DIBELS scores and outlined interventions — professional development (LETRS), targeted intervention blocks, intersession support and class-size targets — intended to reach an 85% end-of-year kindergarten benchmark.
The Kyrene Elementary District presented midyear district-assessment data at a board data retreat, telling members the district is aiming to reach an 85% end-of-year benchmark on the DIBELS early-literacy screen for each incoming kindergarten cohort.
The target and how the district plans to reach it were front and center. Superintendent Teneas framed the board retreat as the second review in the district’s annual assessment cycle, and Dr. Christy McDougall, director of assessment and student outcomes, and Carrie Feherty, associate superintendent for Future Ready Schools, walked trustees through DIBELS performance and how the district uses multiple assessments to triangulate student progress.
Board members were given context for the goal: kindergarten baseline proficiency on DIBELS was 74% in 2022–23 and rose to 78% in 2023–24. “We’re starting this year with the kindergarten cohort and if we can maintain 85% each year as that cohort moves up, in 2027–28 that group would be K–3 and meet the 85% target,” Dr. McDougall said. The district said it expects to see additional movement in the current year as midyear and end-of-year data are collected.
Why it matters: district leaders said the 85% target balances classroom capacity and intervention resources. “The research…is about 15% of your population is going to need some level of intervention at some point,” Superintendent Teneas said; district staff added that the system is designed to support roughly that 15% with intervention staffing and MTSS monitoring so that the classroom and intervention resources are sustainable.
What the district is doing: staff described several operational changes and supports intended to drive early-literacy gains. Those include: - Professional development: a phased LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) rollout for K–3 teachers and administrators, including district trainers and coaching; preschool staff received AIM to Prevent phonemic-awareness training. - Targeted interventions: a 45-minute daily block for differentiated instruction at elementary schools; progress monitoring and MTSS plans for students “well below benchmark”; fall and spring intersession (two-week blocks) for students below benchmark. - Staffing and class-size strategy: the district said it decreased class-size targets for K–2 (district targets cited in the presentation: kindergarten average 19–21; first grade 21–23; second grade 23–25; third grade 25–27) and noted the investment to achieve those targets is substantial (presenters estimated the annual cost to maintain the commitments at more than $1,000,000). If a class temporarily exceeds the target, additional classroom assistance hours are provided and, in summer, new sections can be created when enrollment warrants, staff said. - Monitoring and materials: district teams created a common monitoring system for MTSS plans and produced video tutorials and handouts so teachers and leaders can access assessment source data and pull reports more easily.
Voices from the retreat: Carrie Feherty said the district has built “data dives” into the calendar so that staff stop to analyze end-of-year and beginning-of-year data and then again at midyear. Dr. McDougall added that DIBELS is a nationally common K–3 early-literacy measure and that the district uses beginning-of-year, middle-of-year and end-of-year windows to track growth. “This assessment gives us an indication of how on grade level or behind a student may be,” she said.
What's next: staff said the board will receive state-assessment peer-comparison data when the state releases it, and the district will present end-of-year results in a future public meeting that folds into the strategic-plan performance dashboard.
Ending note: trustees had several procedural and clarifying questions about class-size averages, how the intervention exit process works and how DIBELS data link to other measures; staff said they would provide school-level reports and dashboards for further review.
