Clover district midyear I-Ready data shows gains in reading; state third-grade retention law raises concerns

Doctor Quinn, the superintendent, and Dr. Dickey presented the Clover School District’s midyear I-Ready diagnostic results to the board, saying the district has made measurable gains in reading but still faces challenges in mathematics.

At midyear, the district has reached about 80% of the expected typical growth on I-Ready overall, Dr. Dickey told the board. About 42% of students had met their typical (one-year) growth target in reading and about 18% had met the “stretch” growth target. In math, districtwide progress toward typical growth was reported at about 65%, with roughly 31% of students meeting typical growth and about 11% meeting stretch growth at midyear.

“These numbers put reading in a better place than math,” Dr. Dickey said. “If the majority of students meet their typical growth, projections indicate about 70% proficiency on SC READY in reading; if students meet stretch growth, that projection rises to about 77%.” He said math projections are lower: about 64% proficiency if typical growth is met and about 72% if stretch growth is met.

Why it matters: board members pressed how the district will respond to students not on track for grade-level benchmarks, particularly because state rules tied to South Carolina’s Read to Succeed law now make third-grade outcomes high stakes. Dr. Dickey and other administrators said the law’s cut score changed this year and that third-grade retention can result if a student “does not meet” on the SC READY and does not meet the summer school scale score or qualify for a “good cause” exemption such as an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

“Third grade is very high stakes,” Dr. Dickey said. He and other administrators explained the district gives I-Ready three times per year (fall, midyear, spring) and uses the platform for daily lessons and progress monitoring. The district recommends students spend roughly 30 to 45 minutes per week in I-Ready for reading and math to stay on track.

Board members asked whether the I-Ready diagnostic can trigger retention or remedial placement. Dr. Dickey clarified that retention decisions are tied to the state’s SC READY result under the Read to Succeed statute, not solely to I-Ready, but that I-Ready projections inform early interventions and summer programming. He said principals have already begun conversations with parents when a student is at risk of not meeting the score to avoid surprises in May.

Administrators also discussed the district’s focus on “stretch growth” for students who are one to three grade levels behind, noting about 18% of those students had met reading stretch targets and roughly 12% had met math stretch targets at midyear. Board members and administrators discussed possible expansions of summer programming and other interventions but did not vote on new programs at the meeting.

The presentation closed with district leaders emphasizing continued use of PLC time, targeted interventions, and collaboration to address math weaknesses and to reduce the number of students vulnerable under the Read to Succeed cut score.

Looking ahead: administrators warned that changes in the state cut score and expansion of related tracking to younger grades mean the district will continue to monitor students earlier and may need to increase summer intervention offerings and communications to families.