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Lincoln Trail team described district data practices, defends scaling back i‑Ready testing
Summary
Lincoln Trail Principal Ben Wallen told the board that North Spencer presented its data-use practices at a Curriculum Associates conference and explained the district’s decision to stop routine i‑Ready diagnostic reports in favor of DOE checkpoints and locally held data because of concerns about over-testing.
Ben Wallen, principal at Lincoln Trail Elementary School, told the North Spencer board the district sent a team of teachers and administrators to present at a Curriculum Associates conference in Indianapolis about how the district uses student data to drive instruction.
Wallen said the district intentionally sent classroom teachers alongside administrators and emphasized that the presentation focused on using data to improve instruction, not on endorsing any specific curriculum product. "We were one of the first districts to inform that that was gonna be too much testing," Wallen said, describing a decision to stop sending families three yearly i‑Ready diagnostic reports because the district will use the new Department of Education checkpoints.
Wallen told the board North Spencer uses multiple sources of data and sets individual student and teacher goals: "iReady will set a goal based on the student's performance... But that's if that kid attendance is good and the teacher is a good teacher... We also have conversations about what everybody wants based on... every single kid." He said teachers review student data and set instructional priorities during the year rather than relying solely on end-of-year measures.
Wallen also highlighted the district’s inclusion model and named staff who presented at the conference, saying teachers from North Spencer drew requests from other educators for classroom visits and follow-ups. Board members asked whether i‑Ready auto-sets goals; Wallen replied that the system proposes goals but that teachers and administrators discuss and refine those targets.
The discussion provided context for the district’s testing choices but did not include any formal board vote to change testing policy during the meeting.
