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Seventh-grade teachers: interim assessments and IXL practice raised proficiency above state averages
Summary
Seventh-grade teachers told the board they used state-aligned interim assessments, small "bell ringer" lessons and IXL practice to target weaknesses, producing higher proficiency rates than the state average on the latest state assessment.
A team of seventh-grade teachers at Huron Middle School told the Huron School District 02-2 Board of Education that using South Dakota Department of Education interim assessments, targeted bell-ringer mini-lessons, and IXL practice helped raise student proficiency on the 2024–25 state assessments.
Teachers said the group began using interim assessments after attending state training and a Smarter Balanced workshop; they described the assessments as short, standard-aligned item sets (FIABs) that provide immediate feedback. One presenter explained the class used top-five/bottom-five item reports from the interim tests to create 10–15 minute bell-ringer lessons and to guide small-group instruction.
Presenters reported the following results for seventh grade: - ELA: State proficiency 53%; Huron seventh grade 62%; among the students who took interim testing (a subset of the grade), proficiency reached 70%. - Math: State proficiency approximately 43% (stable over recent years); Huron seventh-grade results rose above the state average after implementing interim testing and increased IXL practice.
Teachers described implementation details: interim testing began in November for ELA and in March for math for some teachers; the team condensed state testing into a five-day block (08:05–11:37) to reduce absences and make makeup testing easier; the district did not give NWEA this year, which teachers said restored roughly 12 instructional days in ELA. Teachers credited team planning, repeated practice, parent support and student buy-in for the gains.
Board members praised the team’s work and asked about variation across classes; teachers said some variation existed by class period and that the interim data is being used to fine-tune instruction.
Ending Teachers said they plan to expand interim-assessment use across middle-school classes and to offer support to other grade levels. The board encouraged the team to share training and results with colleagues.
