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District staff says kindergarten, first-grade benchmarks rose while third-grade math lags; board requests school-level follow-up
Summary
At the June 19 Eagle Point SD 9 work session, district staff presented iReady benchmark results showing strong kindergarten and first-grade gains but persistent third-grade math weaknesses attributed in part to the COVID cohort; the board asked staff for school-level breakdowns and cohort comparisons in the fall.
District staff presented a year-end review of K–12 benchmark results to the Eagle Point SD 9 Board of Directors at a June 19 work session, reporting notable gains in kindergarten and first grade alongside continuing weaknesses in third grade.
"Overall, we saw growth in K–5," the district data presenter (Speaker 5) told the board, adding that "first grade and kindergarten…really had some tremendous growth over the course of this year." Board members asked staff to produce school-by-school breakdowns and to compare results with previous years when feasible.
Board members and staff discussed several possible causes for the third-grade dip. Speaker 10, describing students who missed early instruction in 2019–21, said those cohorts "would have been kindergartners…so like fourth grade missed kindergarten and most of first grade…you just start the domino effect. And when you get to third grade, that's when you're making that transition." The board noted that reading and phonics gaps can affect math performance through difficulties with word problems and conceptual understanding.
Speaker 2 expressed urgency about a low-proficiency subgroup cited during the meeting: "I have to say that at 13%…we got not just little holes there, but freaking gaping hole," and said the district must identify and target those gaps.
Staff outlined how the district plans to use the data: implementing professional learning communities (PLCs) to examine standards and item-level performance, using middle-school math labs to backfill missing skills, and deploying coaches to focus interventions on priority standards. Speaker 5 said coaches and math lab staff will share student-level information so incoming students can receive targeted support.
The board and staff also debated assessment design and cadence. Staff emphasized why the district implemented iReady for elementary math this year—"it's aligned to the curriculum" and provides standard-level detail—while some board members questioned testing time and potential fatigue. Staff confirmed that fall benchmarks are typically administered in the second or third week of September and offered to run cohort comparisons (spring-to-fall) to measure summer learning loss.
Board members asked for several follow-ups: school-level slides unhidden during the meeting, a fall cohort analysis that compares spring results to fall baselines, and an item analysis focused on third-grade standards and fluency. Staff said they would return in the fall with more detailed, school-specific findings and recommended interventions.
Next steps: staff will prepare school-by-school data, cohort comparisons for fall benchmarks, and a targeted item analysis for third grade to inform PLC work and math-lab placement.
