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Kuna Joint District sets 2% proficiency goal, approves new diagnostics and reading supports
Summary
At its regular meeting the board heard a progress report on the district's continuous-improvement plan and approved new reading and diagnostic tools aimed at boosting proficiency 2 percentage points in reading and math.
The Kuna Joint District Board of Trustees on Tuesday heard a progress report from Assistant Superintendent Brent Graves on last year's continuous-improvement goals and approved a set of diagnostic and intervention purchases intended to help the district reach a board-directed goal of a 2% increase in reading and math proficiency.
Graves told the board the district had set ambitious targets across 18 academic areas last year and met or improved in some but saw mixed results overall. "Of those 18 goals...6 of them we met the goal. In 3 other areas we didn't meet the goal, but we improved from the previous year," Graves said. He said the board's direction for a districtwide minimum of a 2% increase in overall proficiency in reading and math had been shared with schools and administrators and would guide building-level goals this year.
To support that work the district has purchased or expanded several tools and programs. Graves described purchases of: - Newsela ELA supplemental materials aligned to district curriculum; - Amira, a reading assessment and tutoring product that uses automated reading analysis; - I-Ready diagnostic tools for reading (sixth through 12th grades) and math diagnostics extended to ninth grade and targeted freshmen; and - a Qualtrics-based data dashboard the district will use internally and publish a public-facing summary so principals and central staff can track progress.
Graves also said curriculum adoption work for K'5 ELA is ongoing and that middle schools added a targeted reading class to increase reading practice for sixth through eighth graders. He told trustees the district had already begun using the new diagnostics and interventions, paid for in part from funds made available after the recently passed levy.
Trustees asked how the changes produced gains in certain grade bands and whether the district should reopen the surveys used in the prior superintendent search; Graves said the new diagnostic suite will provide consistent benchmarks districtwide and that administrators will review data monthly with the board.
Board members unanimously supported the directive to use the 2% proficiency target as the organizing goal for building-level plans and the district-level purchases Graves outlined.
