Caledonia schools highlight student growth after spring assessments; NAEP participation noted
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Summary
Dr. Diaz told the Caledonia Community Schools board that the district is emphasizing student growth alongside proficiency after spring M-STEP, PSAT and SAT results and that three schools were selected to participate in NAEP this year; comparative data will be provided next month.
Dr. Diaz presented the district's spring standardized assessment results and urged the board to 'focus more on growth' rather than only proficiency. She explained that M-STEP, PSAT and SAT scores contribute to an index that includes proficiency, growth, graduation rates and school-quality indicators and emphasized the district's work to support students who are not yet proficient.
Dr. Diaz said Caledonia's M-STEP reading scores exceeded the Michigan average and reported the district's differential versus the state widened between the two most recent reports (she described the district as being 25 points higher in 2023–24 and 36 percentage points higher in 2024–25). She also reiterated the state's 95% assessment participation requirement and said assessment items can change year to year, affecting direct cohort comparisons.
Board members asked whether the district compares results with similar districts or other states. Dr. Diaz replied that some state assessments are not directly comparable across states because standards and cut scores differ, but PSAT and SAT offer cross-state comparability. She said Caledonia was selected to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) this year at three schools and that staff would provide broader comparative statistics at next month's meeting.
Dr. Diaz described district priorities tied to the results: strengthening foundational instruction, using professional learning communities to target essential standards, expanding intervention supports (young five through grade 4, learning labs at Kraft and the high school, and targeted support in grades 7–8), and implementing universal design for learning so lessons provide multiple access points for students. On curriculum tools, Dr. Diaz said I-Ready has been used for about five years and staff will analyze longitudinal data to assess its impact.
The superintendent and Dr. Diaz said they will return with additional comparative data and more detailed analyses next month to help the board evaluate curriculum choices and intervention effectiveness.