Tangipahoa Parish reports modest K–3 gains in midyear DIBELS screener

Doctor Fussell presented the Tangipahoa Parish midyear DIBELS literacy results and framed them as early, encouraging signs of progress. He said the district’s K–3 cohort moved from 42% proficiency at the beginning of the year to 50% at midyear, a 3 percentage‑point improvement compared with the same point last year. ‘‘We have 50 percent of them scoring proficient or on grade level,’’ Doctor Fussell said.

Fussell highlighted kindergarten as the largest area of growth: beginning‑of‑year kindergarten proficiency was 24%, and midyear the district reported 51%—a roughly 27‑point increase this year versus a 20‑point increase at the same time last year. He attributed the gains in part to a district program identified in the presentation materials (referred to in the meeting as the ‘‘Once’’ program) and to targeted professional development that modeled embedding screening‑aligned practices in regular instruction.

Board members asked why first and second grades showed little movement. Fussell urged caution about ‘‘teaching to the screener,’’ saying DIBELS is a diagnostic tool and that teaching the core curriculum while using small‑group strategies and literacy coaches produces the desired growth by year‑end. He added that the state will visit kindergarten sites because district kindergarten growth has outpaced state averages.

Nut graf: The midyear results show modest overall growth with a notable kindergarten improvement, but the board signaled that first‑ and second‑grade performance will be a priority for further intervention, data dives and classroom coaching going into the spring testing window.

Board next steps and context: Members were invited to dig into the district’s shared data files by grade and teacher. Fussell said principals and coaches conducted a data dive focused on first and second grade and that the district will provide another update at the end of the school year when final scores are available.