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Sunnyside board hears update on spring assessments and new third-grade oral-reading requirement
Summary
District leaders briefed the board on spring state assessments, a new small-group oral reading fluency measure added to Move On When Reading, testing logistics and timelines for results; summer-school retention rules for third grade were discussed.
District staff updated the Sunnyside Unified School District governing board on spring state assessments and a newly counted oral reading fluency measure tied to the Move On When Reading requirement for third graders.
Pam Benton and curriculum staff said the district has started statewide testing, including AZELLA language-proficiency tests and statewide achievement tests across grade levels. Benton told the board the state introduced an oral reading fluency component that will be administered this year in small groups (about six students at a time) and recorded on district devices; this is the first year the oral reading fluency score will count toward Move On When Reading determinations.
Miss Castro explained the small-group test: students start the testing program on a computer, record themselves reading an assigned passage, and stop the recording; practice tests have been used to familiarize students and teachers with the process. The district will use the results along with other assessment data to determine which third graders meet the threshold to advance; students who do not meet the threshold are subject to retention and are typically offered intensive summer programming.
Benton said the Department of Education provides embargoed files of state achievement-test results; letter grades for schools are not released until the fall (October–November) when final calculations are posted. The board heard that the district will report later on the number of third graders who require summer school and how many attend.
Board member Rodriguez asked whether the oral-reading recordings are retained; staff explained the tests are done individually on devices and teachers and students have practiced the recording process. No vote was taken; the item was informational.
"This year there's a new test that's being given that's a part of the Move On When Reading scores, and that's an oral reading fluency test," Benton said during the presentation.
