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Bethlehem Area SD reports gains in math and reading on beginning‑of‑year benchmarks
Summary
District presenters told the board the start‑of‑year benchmark data show notable gains across grade levels in math and steady literacy results in K–5; administrators credited curriculum, coaching and classroom instruction for the improvements.
Bethlehem Area School District administrators reported to the school board on Oct. 6 that beginning-of-year benchmark assessments show gains in math across multiple grade levels and steady literacy starts in K–5.
District data presenters — Mrs. Harper (literacy lead) and Mr. Amato (math lead) — presented abbreviated, district-level summaries of the results and said detailed worksheets were provided to board members for review. Mrs. Harper highlighted kindergarten and first-grade literacy improvements at several schools, citing Thomas Jefferson first grade at 73% as a notable early result.
On math, Amato summarized multi-year gains tied to the district’s adopted math curriculum. He reported that first-grade readiness improved from about 50% in 2022–23 to roughly 83% in 2025–26, and second grade improved from 45% to 68% over that period. For grade 3 the district reported an increase from 35% to 60%; grade 4 from 26% to 49%; and grade 5 from 18% to 49% compared with the 2022–23 baseline. Middle school cohort gains were also presented: sixth grade from 11% to 41%, seventh from 18% to 50% and eighth from 17% to 34%.
Presenters said the district is using multiple measures (classroom assessments, IXL and state measures) and coaches to support teachers, and they emphasized that some schools show particularly large year-over-year growth: one example cited was Donegan, where the fifth-grade beginning-of-year percentage rose from about 1% in the initial baseline year to 26% in the current report.
Board members asked about whether the results reflected all students and about students with IEPs or emergent English learners (level 1 ESOL). District staff said almost all students are represented; exceptions are a very small number of students whose IEPs or language access needs make the selected assessments inappropriate (these students are excluded from specific measures by established assessment rules).
Several trustees encouraged continued reporting on coaching outcomes and requested ongoing cadence of updates. Presenters said the district will revisit the data at midyear and will continue showing cohort and disaggregated results to track sustained growth.
The board received the informational presentation; no action was taken at the meeting.
