Midyear tests show gains and persistent gaps; board discusses targeted interventions

Madison County staff presented midyear assessment (PM2) results at the Dec. 16 workshop that showed measurable student growth in many grades but also highlighted remaining proficiency gaps and operational steps to accelerate improvements.

Miss Thomas led the raw PM2 data review, telling the board the district tested about 88% of students for the midyear snapshot and that third‑grade ELA appeared "to be trending in the right direction." She reported the share of third‑grade students scoring at the lowest level declined substantially and that level‑4 and level‑5 representation rose — for example, third‑grade ELA level‑4 rose from roughly 2% to 11% in the midyear data.

Miss Brown provided a deeper breakdown and identified 'bubble' students — level‑2 students within roughly ten scaled‑score points of level‑3 proficiency — as a key near‑term target. She said 83% of third graders improved their scale score from PM1 to PM2 and that 65% moved up at least one achievement level. "If we can get the 24 students within ten points up to a 3, our third‑grade proficiency would be 62%," Brown said.

Board members pressed for practical supports: stipend arrangements, redeploying a strong middle‑school math teacher during planning periods to 'push in' to weaker classrooms, and use of paraeducators and online tutoring (district uses Edmentum for level‑1 students). Miss Brown described layered interventions — tiered coaching, peer observations, interventionists (many retired teachers), and partnerships with PACE and a University of Florida phonics initiative (UFLAT/UFLY) scheduled for January walkthroughs.

Discipline data were also discussed: referrals rose from 534 last year to 688 this year across pre‑K–8; the district has revived PBIS and added a check‑in/check‑out system and in‑the‑moment coaching to reduce referrals.

What’s next: staff will return with more granular plans tying interventions to bubble‑student lists, proposed stipends and scheduling changes to enable teacher push‑in during planning periods; the board asked to see compiled teacher feedback on any staffing/ progression proposals before the January meeting.