RSU 5 scorecard: reading gains at elementary level, a middle-school math dip and a 98.8% graduation rate

Assistant Superintendent Cynthia Alexander presented the district scorecard and data summary to the RSU 5 board, reporting gains in elementary reading, concerns about a middle-school math drop, and continued high graduation and SAT benchmark performance.

Alexander walked the board through multiple assessment systems used by the district: local benchmarks for K–5 literacy, the state’s Maine Through-Year (adaptive) assessment for grades 3–8 and grade 10, and the Meridian science assessment for grades 5, 8 and 11. She emphasized that different assessments measure different constructs and are not directly comparable.

On elementary reading, Alexander highlighted cohort progress across grades 2–5 and said some schools are showing measurable improvement after recent curriculum work; she noted two elementary schools, Mast Landing and Pownal (spelled Pownall earlier in materials), are in Tier 1 status primarily tied to chronic-absenteeism goals. “We feel very strongly about our changes in our reading and writing curriculum updates and we’re seeing very good changes,” Alexander told the board.

Alexander flagged a notable math cohort drop: a group that was 75% meeting standards in grade 6 fell to 58.6% in grade 7. She said administrators will watch that cohort closely and that math will be a focus for next year’s data work.

On state-adaptive assessment comparisons, Alexander said RSU 5 outperformed the Maine averages at every tested grade level in both reading and math across the two years of Maine Through-Year data, with meeting standards ranging roughly from the low 70s to low 80s by grade. In science (Meridian), she said results vary by grade but RSU 5 also outperformed the state on the available administrations.

Alexander presented SAT participation and performance for grade 11: in 2024 about 83% of Juniors took the SAT; 71.1% met or exceeded reading/writing benchmarks (compared with 71% statewide) and 35.6% met math benchmarks (compared with 35% statewide). Alexander said benchmark cut scores are typically around 500 on sections, and she offered to provide board members with cut-score details after the meeting.

She reported advanced-course participation: over the past two years 147 students enrolled in AP courses and in FY24, 80.5% of students who took an AP exam scored a 3 or higher; overall, 76.9% of AP exams taken in 2024 scored a 3 or better.

Graduation and postsecondary metrics were strong: RSU 5’s on-time graduation rate was 98.8% for the reported cohort. For the class of 2023, 72.3% initially enrolled in two- or four-year postsecondary programs; Alexander noted that later-year persistence data shows a drop as some students change plans after graduation.

Alexander closed by noting that curriculum work—especially in science for grades 3–6—will continue and that the district will provide more detailed subgroup analyses and school-level follow-up as administrators review specific cohorts and interventions.