Board hears ELA assessment results; district to pilot 95 Percent Group phonics program
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Summary
Superintendent staff presented grades 3–8 New York State English language arts results showing Penfield outperformed the state and explained district steps — including online benchmarks and a spring pilot of a phonics core from 95 Percent Group — to address gaps in intermediate grades.
The Penfield Central School District presented 2023–24 results for grades 3 through 8 New York State English language arts assessments and outlined next steps in curriculum and intervention planning at the Jan. 14 Board of Education meeting.
Dr. Leslie Maloney, speaking for curriculum and instruction, told the board that "across all grade levels, Penfield outperformed the state." She reported grade‑level proficiency percentages for 2023–24: grade 3, 53%; grade 4, 56%; grade 5, 63%; grade 6, 53%; grade 7, 60%; and grade 8, 74%. Combined grades 3–8 proficiency was 59%.
Maloney cautioned that the 2023–24 assessments were the first statewide administration aligned to the Next Generation Learning Standards and the first year Penfield students took the tests on computers; the state recommends against direct year‑to‑year comparisons with earlier tests. The district will use the New York State Report Card and other data to drill down by demographic groups and standards.
To give students practice with the computer‑based format and provide teachers with standard‑level diagnostics, the district will administer an online benchmark using past state ELA questions in January or February. Maloney said the benchmark will "give teachers specific data by standard that they can use to drive their instruction going into the test." She added the benchmarks also give students practice with the computer environment.
To address an identified gap in explicit phonics instruction at the intermediate level (grades 3–5), the district plans a spring pilot of the 95 Percent Group phonics core program. Maloney described the program as "30 minutes of explicit phonics instruction" covering decoding, encoding, dictation, comprehension response and spelling. The district plans to pilot the program this spring in grades 3–5 and will continue curriculum adjustments based on assessment data.
Board members raised questions about the impact of computer‑based testing on reading performance and whether paper assessments are used for comparison. Maloney said the district uses "multiple data points" — including nationally normed assessments and district measures — and that BOCES has provided computer‑based benchmark tools.
The superintendent's report also included related updates from the Office of Equity and Access and specialized programming. The Office of Equity and Access reported that students who attended the Latinas Unidas luncheon advocated for a Latino Student Union. The Office of Specialized Programming and Supports described new professional learning for staff to review the New York State continuum of services, distinctions between consultant teacher and integrated co‑teaching models, scenario reviews and feedback/application work to strengthen special‑education instructional practices.
No board action was taken on curriculum at the meeting; the presentation outlined assessment results, proposed pilot steps and ongoing professional learning.
