MCPS says early literacy investments led to large gains in second‑grade reading; district links DIBELS gains to $1.84 million in targeted spending

Montgomery County Public Schools officials told the Board of Education on Jan. 9 that investments in early literacy programs, assessments and coaching corresponded with measurable reading gains for second graders.

Malaika Brown, elementary English language arts supervisor, described a three‑year change in foundational reading instruction across kindergarten through second grade that included broader use of the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment, adoption of a knowledge‑building English language arts curriculum and professional learning for teachers. Brown and other presenters said MCPS increased progress monitoring and aligned school support teams to improve instruction and interventions.

Brown said the cohort of students currently in second grade experienced two full years of the district’s shifts in reading instruction and assessment. "As a result, the percentage of second‑grade students meeting the reading benchmark increased by 18 percentage points," she said, adding that the gain translated to “nearly 1,600 additional second graders reading at grade level compared to two years ago.” The district reported that it spent about $1,840,000 on the foundational‑skills programs and related supports that affected that cohort, and staff calculated a cost of about $102,000 for each percentage point of improvement across the cohort.

District leaders also said gains were visible across racial and service groups, with particularly notable increases for Hispanic/Latino students and emerging multilingual learners. Peter Moran, chief of schools, described a field test of multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS) at five schools and said schools that implemented MTSS with fidelity and that communicated regularly with families saw strong growth. Moran said Germantown Elementary saw a 32% increase in a K–2 composite DIBELS measure after focused intervention monitoring.

Board members asked about translating early grade gains into later outcomes, including the state reading assessment at grade 3. Staff said the DIBELS measure is intended to be an early indicator and that continued emphasis on knowledge building and language comprehension is central to sustaining gains.

Ending

District staff said they will continue implementation of the CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) curriculum, expand MTSS monitoring, translate assessment reports for families into multiple languages and report back to the board on longer‑term outcomes.