Huntsville primary reports midyear K–2 literacy gains, flags state screener problems

At the Huntsville School District board meeting on Jan. 7, 2025, Jennifer, a Watson Primary administrator, presented midyear K–2 academic data and described gains in several early literacy measures while cautioning that the state's new Atlas K–2 screener has produced inconsistent results.

Jennifer told the board the district is using three assessment sources to guide instruction at Watson Primary: the state’s Atlas K–2 screener, Acadience (a universal screener), and teacher-created common formative assessments (CFAs). She said Atlas “is a brand new assessment to the state of Arkansas and the K–2, and it is not without its faults right now,” adding, “they're building the plane while they're flying it.” She told the board the district is relying more on Acadience and CFAs while Atlas is refined.

Why it matters: K–2 is the district’s foundation for future reading achievement. The Atlas screener’s unreliability limits the district’s statewide-comparable…