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Waco ISD midyear reading report shows uneven gains across campuses
Summary
District staff presented middle‑of‑year i‑Ready reading data to the Waco Independent School Board, highlighting pockets of strong growth at some campuses and continuing below‑grade performance at others; officials said the results will guide interventions and curriculum review ahead of STAAR tests in April–May.
WACO — District staff told the Waco Independent School Board that midyear i‑Ready reading results show a mix of progress and continuing gaps across elementary and middle schools.
The i‑Ready data presentation Wednesday detailed campus‑level averages, percentages of students who improved placement, and how many students have already met "typical growth" or the district's more ambitious "stretch growth" targets for the school year. Dr. Dina Kornblum, the district curriculum lead, said the assessment projects each student's expected end‑of‑year trajectory from their beginning‑of‑year score.
The report matters because board members and staff said they will use the results to target interventions and revise curriculum. "What would help you most as I present this data?" Dr. Dina Kornblum asked trustees as she opened the presentation, and she walked the board through how to interpret grade bands and growth bubbles that appear on each campus slide.
Kornblum emphasized that i‑Ready provides diagnostic detail across fluency, vocabulary, phonemic awareness and comprehension and that the program produces individualized "pathways" teachers can use for tiered interventions. She told the board the system gives teachers lessons, scripts and prerequisite skills tied to student needs and that the district has been training campus staff to use the tool in PLCs.
Trustees pressed for clarity on meaning and reliability. Trustee Marcus Ochoa asked whether typical growth equates to one year of progress; Kornblum replied it depends on where a student started and that typical growth is a projection specific to the student's starting point. When asked about correlation to state testing, Kornblum said i‑Ready includes a Texas proficiency projection and that the district can share a correlation chart showing how i‑Ready predicts STAAR outcomes.
Board members and staff discussed implementation details: principals said many campuses have built intervention time into the ELA block and that the district provides a mix of computer‑based and face‑to‑face lessons for tier 2 and tier 3 supports. Trustees urged administrators to identify high‑performing teachers and "bright spots" so successful practices can be spread; Dr. Kornblum said campus systems that use weekly student work and monitor small‑group instruction consistently produce larger gains.
Trustees also used the presentation to press for operational supports. Several trustees asked for clearer, campus‑level comparisons to identify which schools need extra support; Kornblum and Dr. Spicer said the district is reviewing its organizational supports and allocating additional coaching and budget resources where needed.
Board members were reminded that STAAR testing begins in April and runs through May; Kornblum said the district will continue to use i‑Ready data to refine interventions through the end of the year.
The board did not take formal action on the data presentation; staff described the report as an update and said follow‑up items include targeted support for lower‑performing campuses and continued teacher training on the i‑Ready pathways.
