Smithville R‑II reports strong first‑year i‑Ready results, expands competency‑based learning and AI planning

District leaders presented a year‑one analysis of i‑Ready interim assessments and described how staff will use the data to guide instruction, interventions and curriculum work.

Superintendent Dr. Moss and instructional leaders told the board the district administered three i‑Ready interims (fall, winter, spring). Staff said spring testing moved later in the year (late May) because of state testing windows and local snow days, which may have affected student stamina. District presenters reported that most students placed in the “high performance, high growth” quadrant against national norms and highlighted large increases in students at grade level: reading Tier 1 participation rose from 35% in the fall to 69% in the spring; math Tier 1 rose from 31% to 70% over the same period.

Instructional leaders explained how they are using i‑Ready data at district, building, grade, teacher and student levels to set goals, reassign staff and plan interventions. At Smithville Middle School, staff identified comprehension as a building‑wide need after fall data and shifted professional development so multiple content teachers embed comprehension and vocabulary strategies across subjects. Presenters described the district’s response‑to‑intervention (RTI) scheduling and PLCs (professional learning communities) as mechanisms to group students and target tiered supports based on i‑Ready diagnostics.

The board also received updates on competency‑based learning (CBL). Staff said the district completed a large initial phase creating and revising standards, proficiency scales and scope‑and‑sequence documents (more than 900 curriculum documents), and will enter a multi‑year implementation focused on assessment for learning, instruction and learner agency. The district plans a multi‑day academic retreat to expand training and return building leaders prepared to lead local implementation in August.

Separately, leaders reported work with the Education Advisory Board (EAB) on AI and an educator pipeline. Staff said EAB analysis suggests responsible AI use could save teachers an estimated 4–7 hours per week; the district described a task force and plans to train teachers and students on AI use rather than block or ban the technology.

Instructional staff said next steps include comparing year‑two i‑Ready results to year‑one baselines, reviewing MAP results when returned (staff expected those in July), refining PLC action plans, and monitoring the effect of a newly adopted reading resource intended to improve comprehension and vocabulary.