Lansing reports modest winter gains in NWEA while partnership schools show mixed progress

Lansing Board of Education received its winter "98B" student data presentation on districtwide assessment results, with staff saying overall proficiency and growth have in some areas inched up but remain below state averages.

Jessica Benavides introduced the twice-yearly report and turned the presentation to Anna Deponio, Director of Data and Accountability, who said 9,904 students were included in the winter NWEA MAP administration and noted two key subgroups: students with individualized education programs (23.63%) and multilingual learners (about 17%). Deponio explained that the NWEA RIT score places students on a national percentile; the district defines proficiency as at or above the 61st percentile and tracks "met growth" by comparing fall-to-winter results.

Deponio reported district-level changes over multi-year comparisons: overall proficiency for grades 2'12 rose from 15.9% in 2022'3 to 20.9% this winter, and districtwide "met growth" averaged about 49.7% (up slightly from 48.96%). In math, proficiency went from 9.12% two years ago to 17.5% this winter, while the share of students meeting math growth rose from about 51.15% to 57.9%. The presenters emphasized these are winter/checkpoint data and that district goals include reaching state-average proficiency ranges (roughly 3542% depending on grade) and an 80% met-growth target based on RTI expectations.

Presenters highlighted differences by grade and school. Reading proficiency improved among some high-school grades compared with last year's same-grade cohorts; Deponio cautioned that grade-to-grade graphs show cross-sectional comparisons (this year's ninth graders compared to last year's ninth graders) rather than cohort tracking of the same students over time. School-level charts showed notable gains at Lansing Tech, the Learning Hub and Capital Area, while Mount Hope and a few other schools showed smaller or no gains. The district also reported modest gender gaps: female students scored higher on reading proficiency while male students were slightly higher in math proficiency.

On intervention and instruction, district staff said they have focused this year on expanding tutoring, Saturday school and other supplemental supports, piloting new math curricula and strengthening principal coaching and classroom feedback practices. Deponio and Benavides described monthly principal data meetings and individual student profile reviews used to target supports and to determine whether a student needs tier-2 small-group instruction or tier-3 interventions.

The presentation also reviewed the partnership (state-designated bottom-5%) 18-month benchmark process. Benavides summarized the three benchmarking buckets used by the Michigan Department of Education: process benchmarks (systems and monthly data meetings), local outcomes (attendance, office referrals, NWEA growth/proficiency) and state assessment outcomes (M-STEP and related indicators). She said partnership schools met 4/4 process benchmarks and that most partner schools showed increases in their school-index values since identification. Averill was the single partner school reported as not meeting state assessment benchmarks (0/2), though district staff said Averill's NWEA scores are rising and they expect spring assessments to be determinative for exiting the agreement.

Superintendent Ben framed the data with national comparisons from a recent Stanford/Harvard analysis of pandemic-era declines and subsequent recovery. He said Lansing experienced large learning losses from 2019'2 but reported that since 2022 the district has shown gains, including the strongest reading achievement change in Michigan for 2022'4 in the study sample. He credited consistent implementation of curriculum, instructional coaching, and targeted supports for the gains but acknowledged the district remains below long-term targets.

Board members asked detailed follow-up questions. Dr. Kavanaugh cautioned that the winter presentation contains descriptive statistics and that inferential tests (to show statistical significance) are run at the end of the year; she urged caution in language about "growth" until June analyses. Trustees pressed for cohort-tracking reports (student-by-student longitudinal views) in the June packet, clarification of tiered supports (staff explained "tiers" describe instructional strategies, not fixed student labels), availability and grade coverage of tutoring (district: tutoring available at most schools but not necessarily every grade at every site), and a clearer plan for extending services to students who are proficient but plateauing. Trustees also asked about staffing instability at low-performing schools; the district said it is addressing leadership and staffing (interim principals at Averill and North, targeted teacher recruitment including a 1.2-salary incentive for difficult-to-fill roles) and placing district student-support specialists and other resources in those buildings.

District staff described current curriculum pilots: Reveal and Illustrative Math (K—) and Reveal and Envision in high school, along with CKLA (ELA) and phonics supports using the 95% Group. Principals and teachers are piloting materials and using rubrics; instructional council and teachers will recommend adoptions before a full roll-out. The presenters said principals are being trained in scripted classroom feedback and inter-rater calibration for walkthroughs.

The presenters supplied additional operational details: winter transportation and auxiliary counts were shared (2,384 gas-card requests; 633 CATA requests) and enrollment was listed at 9,904 pending final audited count. The superintendent closed by noting the district continues to present the 98B-style report voluntarily (the original law was repealed) to preserve transparency.

Why it matters: Winter NWEA results are a midyear snapshot that the district uses to adjust instruction and supports. The presentation showed measurable short-term improvements, especially in math proficiency rates over two years, and district leaders said they plan sustained, school-by-school interventions and curriculum changes to keep momentum. Trustees asked for cohort analyses and statistical testing at year-end to confirm which changes are robust enough to shape long-term decisions.

What's next: District staff said spring M-STEP results and the June end-of-year report will include inferential analyses and cohort-tracking that trustees requested; spring assessments will also determine final partnership-exit decisions for partner schools such as Averill.