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Show Low Unified presents mixed assessment results, outlines data-driven plans for 2025–26
Summary
District staff reviewed 2025 assessment results showing strengths in middle grades and reading but gaps in fifth- and eighth-grade proficiency; administrators proposed more frequent formative assessments, public dashboards and targeted professional development.
The district presented 2025 academic assessment results Wednesday, showing higher proficiency in some middle grades and in high‑school reading but clear gaps in upper elementary and eighth‑grade math and English language arts.
District staff said the results show areas that “require targeted support” and described plans to shift from end‑of‑year assessments to routine formative checks and public dashboards so teachers, leaders and families can act sooner.
The presenter summarized results across the AASA, Arizona Science (AZ PSI), ACT Aspire and the ACT. In English language arts (ELA), sixth grade led with a 43% proficiency rate, seventh grade was at 42% and fourth grade at 40%, while fifth grade dipped to 32% and eighth grade to 24%. In math, fourth and sixth grades were at about 33%, fifth grade was the district low at 25%, and eighth grade was 24%.
The presenter told the board that those patterns suggest “an opportunity for more targeted support in that transitional year between the elementary and junior high,” and noted teacher turnover in some grades as a contributing factor. The presenter also flagged improvements in middle‑school math, with sixth and seventh grade math scores above the state average.
On science, the district scored near or above the state: fifth grade was 32% (two points below the state), eighth grade was 36% (five points ahead of the state), and eleventh grade was 26% (seven points above the state). The district’s 2025 ACT composite was 18.5, the presenter said, the highest in three years and above the 2024 statewide average of 17.7.
Explaining next steps, the presenter said the district will increase the use of common formative assessments (weekly/biweekly), quarterly benchmarks and daily IXL growth data so teachers can “make real time decisions about what students need next.” The presenter added that the district plans monthly principal check‑ins and public‑facing data dashboards to make progress visible to families and staff. “It’s not a gotcha. It’s a where are we and how do we move forward,” the presenter said.
Board members asked clarifying questions about testing windows, the timing of Aspire and ACT administration and how the district will turn assessment data into classroom practice. The presenter noted that state reporting formats are changing and that end‑of‑year assessments (administered in April–mid May) limit immediate instructional adjustments, which is why the district is prioritizing more frequent formative measures.
The presenter emphasized a collaborative approach to improvement: “Once you put it on the table, it belongs to all of us,” referring to teacher professional learning communities and the district’s intent to use shared data to identify and spread effective practices.
The board did not take formal action during the report. The district indicated these plans will inform professional development and administrative monitoring in 2025–26.
