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Stratford presents winter assessment, attendance and behavior data; tenth-graders flagged for extra SEL support
Summary
District staff told the Board of Education that NWEA cohort growth is slightly above national average, chronic absenteeism and suspensions have declined, early literacy scores improved, and social-emotional screening shows gains — but tenth graders report comparatively higher SEL needs.
District administrators presented winter assessment, attendance and school-climate data to the Stratford Board of Education and highlighted measurable student growth alongside continuing areas of concern, notably social-emotional learning (SEL) needs among tenth graders.
Presenters said district results on the NWEA MAP Growth assessment show Stratford students’ cohort growth is slightly above the national median: “a 56 percentile growth in math” and “a 52% growth in reading,” meaning students on average showed more growth than roughly 56% and 52% of comparable peers nationwide, respectively, according to the presentation. The presenters said those cohort comparisons use matched cohorts (the same students compared across time) to measure growth.
The presentation also called attention to grade-level variation. Several grades showed gains — the district cited 4-point increases in some elementary grades and double-digit gains in a few high-school grades — while the district reported dips in particular grades (notably grade 4 and grade 6 in math and some declines in reading for select grades). Science results were mixed: eighth-grade science proficiency rose from 28% to 34%, while fifth-grade science fell from 35% to 30%.
Early-literacy screening (DIBELS) showed marked gains in kindergarten through grade 3 from fall to winter: kindergarten improved from 43% to 58% in foundational skills, and first grade rose from about 39% to 44%, the presentation said.
Attendance and behavior metrics were the most sharply positive items the district highlighted. Chronic absenteeism at Stratford High School fell from 42.1% (February 2023) to 24.7% (February 2025), a 17.4 percentage-point reduction, and other secondary and elementary schools showed year-over-year declines as well. The district attributed much of this progress to new family-engagement specialists, an expanded LEAP program and an administrator overseeing the attendance work. In-school suspensions (ISS) and out-of-school suspensions (OSS) also decreased across most months compared with the prior year; the presentation showed consistent reductions in repeat offenses and month-by-month declines in both ISS and OSS.
District staff described the Alternative Instructional Program (AIP), paid for in part by a federal STOP grant, as an intervention that provides educational staffing and supports for students receiving five- to ten-day suspensions. AIP placements reported for the current school year ranged month to month (for example: September 16, October 15, November 19, December 16, January 22); staff explained these placements are education-focused and intended to reduce repeated suspensions.
The Devereaux Student Strength Assessment (DESSA) results — a teacher-completed SEL screening used districtwide — showed improvement: the percentage of students rated in the “need for instruction” category decreased from 14% in fall to 9% in the winter, while the “strength” category rose from 19% to 26%. However, district-conducted student self-reports (available for high-school grades only) showed higher self-perceived need for instruction than teacher ratings; tenth graders reported the highest self-identified need for SEL instruction (about 41% in the self-report data), which the presentation singled out as an area for targeted intervention.
District staff told board members the next steps include deeper analysis of grade-level dips, continued emphasis on differentiated instruction and targeted interventions, exploration of underlying assessment items for fifth-grade science, and immediate SEL supports for tenth graders (advisory lessons, counselor and social-worker small groups or individual interventions drawn from DESSA’s tiered strategies).
Board members asked for the underlying slides and for follow-up reporting on any curriculum or pacing changes identified during the item-level analysis.
Speakers quoted in the presentation included district assessment staff and district administrators. A board member thanked the presenters “for using matched cohorts,” noting that matching the same group of students year to year provides more accurate growth comparisons.
Ending: District staff said they will provide the board with the slide deck and follow up on specific grade-level analyses and proposed targeted supports for tenth graders.
