Norfolk Public Schools reports large fall reading gains for Black students; board debates tracking and targets

Norfolk Public Schools presented monitoring data Wednesday showing notable fall gains for students in the Black subgroup. Doctor Pohl, the district administrator presenting the monitoring report, said STAR reading proficiency for that subgroup rose 12.2 percentage points from last fall to 52.2%, and that the share of Black students scoring in STAR’s "urgent intervention" range fell from 36.6% to 23.3%.

The results were presented as progress toward a board goal that initially set a long‑term target of 75% proficiency for the subgroup. "Our STAR proficiency for students in the Black subgroup is 12.2 points higher than last fall with 52.2% of the students showing proficiency," Doctor Pohl said, and she described double‑digit gains at a number of schools. On the urgent‑intervention measure, Pohl said the division had "surpassed" the year’s spring target and recorded large declines at 30 schools.

Why it matters: the board set the subgroup target to drive equity and to raise overall reading outcomes. Administration tied the gains to a mix of practices kept in place after ESSER funding ended—consistent instruction, early literacy tutors, small‑group tier 2/3 interventions using the SIPs curriculum, Lexia for core and intervention work, reading specialists at elementary buildings, and regular coaching and professional development cycles. Pohl said she and her team have been consistent with those interventions for three years, and that the fall cycle is the first clear demonstration of systemwide traction.

Board members pressed for clearer, higher‑level monitoring signals. Miss Bessin asked whether a fall target existed and how the board could tell which strategies "are getting us to the reality that we hope to get to." Pohl said fall targets had not been set because the administration used fall data to refine realistic winter and spring targets; she also repeated that the district aimed to preserve the effective elements of the ESSER‑funded work within the FY25 operating budget. Mister Jordan and others asked for a simple on‑track/off‑track indicator (green/yellow/red) to accompany the graphs so the public and board could see status at a glance; Pohl said administration would add clearer status markers before the next reports.

What the district will do next: the English office will continue professional learning (instructional coaching and model implementation of the 2024 English standards), develop and monitor individualized reading plans for students in K–3 and targeted sixth graders, and maintain weekly monitoring by reading specialists along with monthly PD and coaching cycles. Pohl cautioned the board not to lower ambitions: although some targets were met early in the fall cycle, the district must sustain growth to reach longer‑range goals.

The board’s discussion made a second point about reporting design: several members praised school‑by‑school growth but asked administration to ensure that school charts do not distract from the division‑level subgroup monitoring; others argued celebrating school gains is valuable for the community. The board did not take formal action on the goals at this meeting; administrators said they would return with winter targets and a clearer indicator system.

The monitoring presentations were followed by a motion to enter closed session to discuss personnel and student matters under subsection of §2.2‑3711 of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.