Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dallas SD 2 sees mixed winter benchmark results; board discusses sustaining third-grade investment
Summary
Presentations from Oakdale, Lyle and Whitworth showed strong math gains, mixed reading results and rising behavior incidents; board members discussed whether the third-grade staffing model that reduced class sizes should be continued into the 2025–26 budget.
At the March board meeting, school leaders presented winter benchmark data for Oakdale, Lyle and Whitworth schools and answered board questions about reading, math, attendance and behavior trends.
Oakdale reported that early-literacy benchmarks for K–2 held at about 46% overall, with third-grade reading at 68% (up from 60%) and notable math gains in early grades (first grade from 30% to 62%). Oakdale presenters also said average daily attendance fell from 93.83% to about 91% and that behavior referrals increased in raw counts, although the district reduced the number of students in urgent intervention by 4%.
Lyle reported a kindergarten gain in early literacy (56% to 63%), a decline in first-grade reading (51% to 37%), a large third-grade STAR Reading increase (42% to 82%), first-grade math improvement (29% to 39%), and year-to-date average daily attendance of 90.4%. Lyle staff said first-grade class sizes around 30 may be affecting reading outcomes and that interventions and PLC work would target those gaps.
Whitworth said it has implemented the reading enterprise assessment for all students; third grade rose from 21% to 37% at winter, and third-grade math rose from 12% to 44%. Whitworth reported that state-reportable discipline incidents rose from 21 to 51 as of Jan. 31 and that the regular-attender percentage declined slightly.
Board members tied observed third-grade gains in several buildings to a staffing model that added FTE and reduced class sizes, and they discussed whether to preserve that approach during budget deliberations. One board member said the district should consider maintaining investments that produce measurable third-grade gains because of the grade's predictive value for later outcomes; administrators noted logistical constraints (classroom space and enrollment) and said they would continue analyzing data in PLCs and data teams.
The meeting record shows questions from board members about cohort definitions, summer learning loss, and whether aligned assessments allow valid longitudinal comparisons across buildings. Presenters cautioned that some apparent changes reflect different student samples or assessment instruments; they said staff will conduct additional data runs to provide longitudinal views requested by the board.
What was presented (selected figures): - Oakdale: third-grade reading up to 68% (from 60%); first-grade math 30% to 62%. - Lyle: kindergarten early literacy 56% to 63%; first-grade reading drop 51% to 37%; third-grade STAR Reading 42% to 82%. - Whitworth: third-grade reading 21% to 37%; third-grade math 12% to 44%; discipline incidents 21 to 51 as of Jan. 31.
Board members asked administrators to continue refining cohort-oriented longitudinal reports and to factor these data into upcoming budget decisions.
