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AJUSD launches districtwide RTI/MTSS effort; principals set WIGs and new assessment calendar
Summary
District instructional leaders told the governing board the district has adopted a tiered RTI approach (MTSS umbrella), set school-level goals and revised screening and PLC schedules to use data more systematically to boost grade-level proficiency.
Angie Thompson, district instructional leader, briefed the Apache Junction Unified School District governing board on July 20 about a Leaders Institute the district held this summer to standardize Response to Intervention (RTI) practices across schools and align assessments and pacing calendars.
"RTI just simply means response to intervention," Thompson said, summarizing the framework the district is adopting. Thompson and principals described a three-tier model: high-quality core instruction for all students (Tier 1), targeted small-group interventions during core instruction (Tier 2), and more intensive individualized interventions for students significantly behind grade-level skills (Tier 3). Thompson said the goal is that a strong Tier 1 should meet about 80% of students' needs, with roughly 15% requiring Tier 2 and 5% Tier 3 interventions.
District staff described concrete changes to implement the model. They said they created a "guaranteed and viable" curriculum and aligned pacing calendars and assessments; they plan to expand FastBridge universal screening to include math for K2-5 and to move the first universal screener earlier in the year (examples discussed pointed to an August screening date around August 25). Thompson said district data show current end-of-year reading rates well below the 80% goal: kindergarten 50%, first grade 45%, second grade 36%, third grade 38% and fourth grade 32%.
Principals described school-specific targets and monitoring. Kelly Pan, principal of Desert Vista, said her WIG (wildly important goal) aims to increase K25 proficiency in ELA and math by 10% through consistent Tier 1 implementation and weekly PLCs. Other principals described measures including weekly PLC meetings, small-group planning templates, instructional walkthrough rubrics, and pop-in feedback for teachers from interventionists and administrators.
Presenters emphasized changes to the assessment cadence: universal screening three times per year, more frequent quick checks and benchmarks every four weeks, and a revised assessment calendar intended to give teachers roster-level and incoming data at the start of the year rather than pulling students out immediately. Several principals described using data walls, student data folders, and teacher planning forms to track progress and target instruction.
Board members and the superintendent's representative praised the work and noted the change will take time to implement consistently. No formal board action was required for the update; district leaders said they will continue to report progress to the governing board.
