District 5 outlines academic initiatives, reports summer reading camp results and new standards impact

Tina McCaskill, the district’s chief of academics, reported to the School District 5 board on July 21 that summer interventions and curriculum changes reflect new state standards and that the district is preparing targeted supports for students at risk of retention.

Key figures and immediate impacts - Third-grade reading: McCaskill said 141 students scored in the “does not meet” category on SC READY reading (the number quoted was for reading only, not the full ELA score). Of those, 25 students were required to attend summer reading camp; the district reported 17 of those students face retention in third grade. McCaskill added that attendance and improvements at camp reduced the number expected to be retained compared with an earlier estimate. - Middle and high school summer programs: Middle-school summer school had 164 students qualify; 139 attended and were promoted as a result of summer instruction. High-school summer offerings focused on content recovery; 127 students attended and 146 credits were recovered during summer programming. McCaskill said the program produced five summer graduates (a number updated during the presentation). - Virtual and dual enrollment: The district reported 552 initial-credit VirtualSC course enrollments across roughly 391 students, plus credit-recovery usage; 26 students participated in summer dual-enrollment courses, an effort the district estimated produced roughly $78,000 in college-credit savings.

Instructional strategy and curriculum updates McCaskill outlined the district’s MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) approach and emphasized research-based strategies (citing effect sizes associated with John Hattie’s meta-analyses). She described expectations for tiered instruction, reading coaches in every elementary school, reading interventionists funded by general and Title I funds, and new curriculum adoptions (including an elementary ELA curriculum and I-Ready math plus DreamBox for K–5). The district will expand summer reading camp inclusion in future years to include first and second graders as state law requires.

Testing and standards McCaskill and board members discussed how changes to state standards and a new test affected year-to-year comparisons. “It’s a higher standard,” McCaskill said of the new test and standards; she cautioned that direct comparisons with prior years are limited because the assessment and standards changed.

Teacher supports and professional development The presentation emphasized teacher-facing supports, including PLCs (professional learning communities), classroom-observation systems (Classroom MOSAIC), professional development in high-effect instructional strategies, and building-thinking-classrooms training. McCaskill said the district uses planning, success criteria and student self-reporting strategies to improve instructional clarity and student outcomes.

Next steps and board questions Board members asked for follow-up data on the prior instructional supports of students who scored in the low bands and for monitoring plans for retained students. McCaskill said the district had begun meetings with schools in December to plan interventions and would continue tracking students who were retained or required further targeted supports; she also said principals and school teams will follow students through MTSS processes and triage teams at the high school level to monitor progress.