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District expands I Ready math across K-5; staff favor differentiated grouping over early acceleration
Summary
Ashley Rickert, the district's director for mathematics and computer science, reported year-two implementation of I Ready for K-5, diagnostic-driven grouping and early gains on winter diagnostics; teachers prefer enrichment within heterogeneous homerooms rather than acceleration before grade 6.
Ashley Rickert, director of mathematics and computer science and business for the Niskayuna Central School District, told the product committee on Feb. 24 that the district has completed a year-two rollout of the I Ready math program for grades K-5 and is using diagnostic reports to drive differentiated instruction and enrichment.
Rickert said about 90% of teachers were early adopters in the initial pilot year and that this school year all K-5 teachers are using I Ready. The district administers the I Ready diagnostic three times a year; Rickert reported mid-year gains and said the program's prerequisite reports help teachers group students by skill level and provide unit-specific enrichment and intervention materials.
Those materials, Rickert said, allow teachers to keep fifth-grade students heterogeneously grouped in homerooms while providing targeted extension lessons for students who test above grade level. District staff reported that, after the fall-to-winter diagnostics, the share of students at or above grade level rose from 17% to 30%, with reductions in the number of students substantially below grade level.
Rickert and presenters said teachers asked for more center-based activities, easier ways to navigate the platform and continued drop-in professional development sessions provided by curriculum associates. The committee reported that I Ready contains a mix of online and pencil-and-paper activities and that the district is scheduling in-district trainers and guidance to help teachers use the full suite of materials.
On acceleration, Rickert said a survey and comparison of peer districts showed that most nearby districts begin acceleration at sixth grade; Niskayuna teachers expressed a preference to avoid labeled early-acceleration classes at grades 4 or 5 and instead to provide enrichment within the classroom based on diagnostic grouping. The district said acceleration would be discussed further when the middle-school program is finalized.
Rickert described I Ready as a tool that creates prerequisite and grouping reports for each unit so teachers can mix students for targeted instruction while keeping grade-level instruction consistent. She said the curriculum's materials and automated reports are intended to free teacher time previously spent assembling data so they can focus on differentiated instruction.
