Principals report districtwide elementary gains; officials flag writing and complex problem‑solving as next priorities
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Summary
Elementary administrators presented 2024–25 benchmark results showing across‑the‑board growth on Fountas & Pinnell (F&P), NWEA and New York State tests; district leaders said gains were driven by coordinated MTSS, inquiry units and aligned curriculum, and identified writing, complex informational text, fractions and problem solving as focus areas.
Administrators for the five Rockville Centre Union Free School District elementary schools presented 2024–25 assessment results to the board, reporting gains on Fountas & Pinnell benchmark assessments, NWEA MAP tests and New York State assessments in English language arts, math and science.
“Each of the elementary administrators… are here tonight as a team. Immense pride to share with you our collaborative efforts that we feel have really transformed teaching and learning across all five of the elementary buildings,” Watson principal Jen Pascrell said. The presentation highlighted that first grade showed the largest single‑year reading gain (an increase of 11 percentage points in students meeting or exceeding F&P expectations), second grade reached 82 percent meeting benchmarks by spring, and fifth grade scored 80 percent at proficiency or mastery on the New York State science assessment.
Michelle DeMartino, speaking about the district’s literacy measures, described the Fountas & Pinnell benchmark as a one‑on‑one diagnostic tool that measures reading behaviors and helps teachers plan targeted small‑group instruction: “The Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessment system continues to be used as a comprehensive tool designed to provide our teachers with a one on one measure of a student's reading abilities and development over time.” Presenters emphasized that F&P is a formative, qualitative measure and that results are used with other assessments to place students in MTSS tiers and tailor instruction.
Anna McGovern summarized NWEA results and said Rockville Centre students outperform national averages at each grade level in reading and math and showed year‑over‑year growth. Administrators also reviewed New York State results for grades 3–5, noting gains in proficiency and mastery (levels 3 and 4) across ELA and math and a notable cohort improvement in fourth‑grade ELA and fifth‑grade science.
District leaders described a common approach across buildings — shared inquiry units, MTSS implementation, professional learning for teachers and collaborative data teams — as driving the progress. They also identified remaining priorities based on the data: extended and constructed writing responses (ELA), complex informational text comprehension, fractions and complex word‑problem solving (math), and interpreting data and models (science). The presentation said kindergarten uses the MAP Reading Fluency assessment, which is not nationally normed, and that kindergarten data are therefore reported separately.
Board members asked whether teachers have sufficient time to analyze data; principals said teachers do not have abundant time but make use of scheduled meetings, coaching and data‑team work to review results. The team also described parent‑engagement efforts — including a pilot “parent university” literacy night in partnership with Molloy University — and said the district will review its report card and assessment suite (including conversations about alternatives such as i‑Ready) as part of the strategic plan.
The presentation closed with board praise for the cohesion across the five elementary schools and next steps to intensify focus on writing, executive functioning supports, targeted interventions and summer approaches to reduce learning loss.
