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District reports mixed midyear assessment results; leaders point to targeted interventions
Summary
Principals and district leaders told the board that winter benchmark and STAR data show areas of strong growth in early grades and notable gains for students with IEPs, while other grades showed uneven results; the district emphasized 'win time', SWAT interventions and coaching to raise student growth percentiles (SGP).
Board members heard a series of midyear assessment reports on Jan. 21 covering K–8 assessment systems and school-specific results. District staff framed proficiency versus student-growth percentile (SGP), noting the district target SGP is 50. Presenters reported the following midyear signals: kindergarten and first-grade early literacy growth was strong at several schools, fourth grade and above showed mixed results depending on the assessment, and some assessment artifacts (testing timing or unfamiliar test types) likely affected scores in certain grades.
Principals and instructional leaders said targeted practices appear to be working in several places: use of structured 'win time' for small-group intervention, SWAT teams for intensive, short-term interventions, targeted after-school skill groups, increased learning walks and coaching cycles. One principal noted that a second-grade reading comprehension measure (MACE) introduced new item types that students needed more practice on, and recommended more practice opportunities in classroom routines. District leaders also described additional supports such as PLC-led rotations on assistive tools and fidelity checks on SEL and PBIS programs.
The special-education and Academic Bridge committees reported measurable gains for students with IEPs: the reading subgroup’s median SGP rose from 49 to 57 midyear, math rose from 46 to 54, and the proportion of students in the STAR 'urgent intervention' category declined to about 21% midyear. The district said those gains are linked to a combination of better use of accommodations, trainer-of-trainers sessions for assistive technology, and case managers working directly with students on how to use accommodations during instruction and testing.
Next steps: district leaders will continue to align curriculum to assessments, increase intentional practice for specific test formats, expand PLC-led PD on accommodations, and track midyear-to-spring progress through forthcoming benchmarking meetings.
