Wichita fall screeners show modest reading and math gains; district outlines interventions and teacher training progress

Wichita Public Schools presented its annual fall screener report on Wednesday, showing incremental gains on some reading and math indicators and laying out next steps for instruction, intervention and assessment.

Key points from the presentation - Reading: The district focused on AReading (an adaptive comprehension measure) for third grade and related grades; staff reported that fall 2025 percentages at or above benchmark were modestly higher than fall 2024 in third through fifth grades. Presenters emphasized differences between foundational word‑recognition gains (large in recent years) and the more complex skill of reading comprehension. - Literacy workforce development: The district has sent names to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) for staff who have earned the Seal of Literacy through LETRS (language education professional development). Justin Casselman said the district sent 980 names to KSDE for staff who completed LETRS and 62 early‑childhood teacher names who earned a related seal through EZ LETRS. Presenters said the official LETRS process can take two years (80+ hours plus in‑person days) and the district locally paced the rollout over four years. - Math: The district reported multi‑year fall AMath trends across grades and said the eighth grade remains the strategic focal point; elementary grade math percentages largely improved over five years except second grade, which declined slightly. The district cited use of the Envision curriculum for core instruction and IXL for math intervention. - Common assessments: District staff described work to develop interim common assessments in the KITE platform tied to standards so teachers can get timelier diagnostic information than the state summative tests allow; a small pilot is underway and the district said it may scale to all third‑grade teachers as early as next fall.

Curriculum and interventions: Staff reiterated elementary adoptions — Envision math (first full year 2025–26) and work to select a K–5 ELA component with pilots planned for 2027–28 — and described intervention tools including Language! Live, quick reads and IXL progress monitoring.

Why it matters: Presenters said staff training and consistent classroom application (proficiency scales, word‑recognition routines, progress monitoring and administrator feedback cycles) are central to converting professional learning into student gains. Board members and staff discussed kindergarten readiness, vocabulary/prior‑knowledge gaps and the role of community partners and extended learning in building background knowledge that supports comprehension.

Ending: The district said it will continue monitoring winter screeners and refining school‑level improvement plans tied to the strategic plan.