Iroquois intermediate school credits Orton–Gillingham training as reading scores rise; board probes gaps in older grades

Intermediate‑school leaders told the Iroquois Central School District Board of Education on Thursday that a deliberate rollout of structured reading instruction and Orton–Gillingham (OG) training has coincided with improvements in literacy measures, but members pressed for explanations of lagging results in older cohorts.

“Once we started talking about phonemic awareness and phonics in a more intentional way, scores did jump,” the intermediate presenter said, describing teacher professional development that began in 2022–23 and a district reading program implemented in 2024–25. The presentation said teachers and new‑hire onboarding received OG training and that study groups now focus on pedagogy and “andragogy” — the teaching of adults.

The presenter cited AIMSweb and ORF targets the district uses for monitoring: a stated aim of roughly 98 percent accuracy on a chosen measure and an ORF benchmark at the 30th percentile (with an internal target that 95 percent of students be above that cutoff). The presenter added that fourth‑grade data show an upward trend after the PD rollout.

Board members asked why fifth‑grade results lagged. One board member noted the fourth‑grade line trending around 70 percent while fifth grade dipped toward 60 percent in spring; the presenter attributed the gap to cohort effects — older students who missed early implementation of OG and the district’s foundational programs. “Fifth graders last year did not receive that structured instruction,” the presenter said, noting the staggered timeline and that some cohorts did not benefit from the full rollout.

Asked how the district plans to help students who are now sixth graders, the presenter described RTI (response to intervention) strategies and schoolwide adoption of “high‑impact strategies” such as choral reading, closed reading and repeated reading. The presenter said a recent anonymous staff survey showed broad adoption across classrooms and pointed to model lessons and teacher debriefs as evidence of implementation.

The board also debated goal setting. One member asked whether a 100 percent proficiency goal is realistic; the presenter recommended a 95 percent target as achievable when accounting for students with significant learning disabilities and stressed continued investment in teacher supports. The presenter additionally said the district will need to identify a successor math curriculum in the next year because the current publisher is winding down the product the district uses.

The board requested more measurable indicators related to student engagement and attendance; an official acknowledged that some success criteria rely on qualitative measures such as participation in PTO or school events but agreed to provide more districtwide absenteeism data on request. The board did not take a formal vote on any program changes; administrators said they will continue implementation and report back with further data.

The board will hear related updates from the high school and athletic staff at future meetings.