CCPS reports spring I-Ready gains and outlines summer interventions; board presses for clearer parent access and middle-school supports

Charles County Public Schools presented spring I-Ready assessment results and accompanying district data at the June 23 work session, showing year-over-year gains in several elementary grades and describing plans for targeted summer interventions.

Chief of Teaching and Learning Kevin Lowndes and assessment staff summarized how the diagnostic test is used three times per year to measure reading and math progress and explained the district's emphasis on 'stretch growth.' Lowndes said typical yearly growth is the baseline for expected progress but that the district is asking teachers and students to achieve stretch growth (described by staff as roughly a year-and-a-half of growth in one year) so students who start below grade level can catch up in multi-year sequences.

Assessment staff reported increases in the share of students in the higher proficiency bands on I-Ready at multiple elementary grades; presenters said the district is expanding dual-language, AP and CTE metrics that feed into the broader accountability framework. For kindergarten screening, the district used Acadience (previously KRA) and plans to introduce a new STAR assessment next year; the district will continue Acadience as a longitudinal measure during the transition.

Lowndes and his team outlined interventions already in place and planned additions: a targeted summer 'boost' program focused on specific skill gaps rather than broad curriculum review; expanded use of the district's virtual high-school platform and targeted CTE/CSM dual-enrollment expansions; and a new intervention-monitoring tool that will track whether students assigned to an intervention actually receive it with the intended frequency and whether it produces growth.

Board members voiced questions and concerns. Jamila Smith and Tamisha Thomas asked about high percentages of middle-school students several grade levels behind in reading and about the cumulative effects that leave older students harder to remediate. Lowndes and Navarro acknowledged the challenge, stressing that closing multi-year gaps requires consistent interventions and added instructional time over multiple years, as well as family engagement.

Several members urged clearer, easier parent access to assessment reports and more frequent communication. Vice Chair Cramer and others noted that I-Ready student reports and recommended resources are helpful but not always accessible to parents without extra login steps; the district said it would improve distribution and is developing automated notifications for parents when students fall below grade level.

Several trustees asked about middle- and high-school recovery options. Presenters noted 'math labs' and additional targeted supports at middle schools but acknowledged more intensive or extended options (including out-of-school time) are limited and that summer boost programs are primarily for elementary students. The board encouraged expanding supports for older students who remain behind.

The district emphasized next steps: refine reporting and parent notification systems, continue professional development in early grades to strengthen core instruction, scale targeted summer programming, and finalize the intervention-monitoring tool to provide school leaders with timely evidence of whether assigned supports are being delivered and are effective. Detailed MCAP state results were not yet available; officials said those will be shared at the August board meeting.