HCPS shows midyear gains on DIBELS and I-Ready diagnostics; district flags math as priority

Harford County Public Schools staff presented midyear results on the district's local assessments, reporting gains on the DIBELS literacy screener and on I-Ready diagnostic measures while warning staff and the board that math achievement remains a central area for improvement.

Assistant Superintendent Heather Kushner, Director Philip Snyder (accountability) and Director of Special Education Kyle Sastelli presented the DIBELS early literacy screener (kindergarten through grade 3) and I-Ready diagnostic results for grades 1—. District staff described changes to reporting for this school year: HCPS now includes students with individualized education program (IEP) reading goals in its DIBELS reporting so the midyear datasets form a new baseline compared to prior published reports.

Key findings - DIBELS (early grades): The district reported increased proportions of students at or above benchmark from fall to midyear in K'; staff emphasized that this year's dataset includes students with reading goals in IEPs, a reporting change from prior years. - I-Ready (reading and math diagnostics): Comparing fall to winter administrations, the district reported gains by grade level in both reading and mathematics; third grade showed one of the largest observed gains in both subjects. District staff cautioned that I-Ready is longer and more diagnostic than some prior tools but provides richer, standards-aligned data for teachers and families.

Why it matters: Staff said I-Ready provides standard-level diagnostic detail and family-facing reports (the I-Ready Family Center opened March 12) that can support targeted instruction and summer reading placement. The district plans a linking study this summer to map correlations between I-Ready results and MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) outcomes to better forecast state-assessment performance from local diagnostics.

Math: a continuing challenge Staff described math as a district priority with more modest gains in middle school grades and identification of multiple causes and responses. District math supervisors are piloting "ambassador" approaches to support curriculum implementation and teacher coaching. Board members and staff discussed state-level changes and the district's need for clarity from the Maryland State Department of Education about any new curricular or assessment frameworks before fully committing district resources to a particular math adoption.

Testing cadence and instructional time I-Ready diagnostic modules are computer-adaptive and, depending on grade level and student responses, can require multiple short sessions; staff estimated roughly 70—90 minutes per subject administration (broken into smaller sessions for younger students). Team members said the time yield is valuable because teachers receive item-level and standard-aligned reports they can immediately use for targeted instruction.

Board questions and staff follow-up Board members requested additional disaggregated views of the DIBELS results for the current year with IEP students excluded so the board can compare apples-to-apples with prior years while the district develops the new longitudinal baseline. Staff agreed to provide additional analyses and to run a linking study over the summer once spring administrations are complete.

Speakers quoted in this article - Heather Kushner, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction (presentation lead) - Philip Snyder, Supervisor of Accountability - Kyle Sastelli (transcript label: miss Kyle Sastelli), Director of Special Education

Provenance - Topic introduction (assessment presentation start): transcript segment starting at 7623.86 (presentation introduction) (topicintro). - Topic finish: transcript segment starting at 8493.056 (Q&A opening and transition to superintendent's report) (topicfinish).

Sections:{"lede":"HCPS reported midyear improvements on the DIBELS literacy screener and on I-Ready diagnostics but said math remains a priority and that added reporting of students with IEP reading goals establishes a new baseline for comparison.","nut_graf":"District staff said I-Ready provides richer item-level data and family-facing reports; the district will run a linking study this summer to correlate local diagnostic scores with MCAP results and will provide additional DIBELS reports excluding IEP students at the board's request.","ending":"Staff asked schools and families to use family reports and promised further analysis this summer to refine instructional guidance and state-assessment projections."}