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Rockville board hears mixed SC Ready results; math remains a district concern
Summary
District leaders presented 2025 SC Ready results showing steady ELA gains since 2022 but only minimal math growth; cohort data highlighted some ELA improvements and persistent math weaknesses beginning in fourth grade. District staff outlined interventions including PD, MTSS and adoption of Zearn.
Sheena Dickey, the district’s assistant superintendent for school performance and accountability, opened a four-part data series Tuesday night with an overview of 2025 SC Ready assessment results for grades 3–8.
The presentation showed district-level gains in English language arts compared with the district’s 2022 baseline and a narrowing gap with state averages, Dickey said, and highlighted cohort improvements: the percentage of a cohort scoring in the lowest ELA category fell from 27.3% to 18.8%, and a third-grade cohort’s share meeting or exceeding grade level rose from 50.4% to 61.8% by fifth grade.
Those ELA gains, Dickey said, reflect the district’s instructional framework and continuous-improvement work. "This is the first of a four-part data series…we want to use multiple data points," she said.
By contrast, presenters and several board members described math as an urgent challenge. Alicia Johnson, executive director of secondary education, said minimal district math growth has persisted since 2022 and the decline typically begins in fourth grade. Johnson pointed to foundational gaps — especially in fractions and decimals — and shared cohort math figures showing a third-grade 'does not meet' rate of 26.6% that dropped only to 23.6% by fifth grade; another cohort’s share meeting or exceeding fell from 50.1% to 42.6%.
Board members urged an "all hands on deck" response. "We need to throw all the resources we have for the district in the classroom," said one board member, who called for incentives to retain veteran math teachers. Johnson described district steps including teacher professional development focused on fractions, coaching cycles, and the initial rollout of Zearn, a digital math platform the district said has a high ESSA rating.
Presenters also reviewed science testing (grades 4 and 6), noting 2024 was a field test and did not count for accountability; 2025 science scores were relatively stable in fourth grade and improved in sixth grade.
Why it matters: persistent math weakness affects multiple grade levels and will factor into the district’s continuous improvement plans and staffing and program decisions this year. The SC Ready presentation is the first of four data briefings the district plans to provide to the board and public.
Next steps: district staff said they will follow this presentation with formative data (MAP scores) and further detailing of interventions and PLC work; the data series will continue at subsequent board meetings.
