Tooele presents midyear benchmark gains; officials flag second-grade dip and RISE interims as new baseline

Tooele School District officials presented midyear benchmark results at the Feb. 10 board meeting, telling trustees that early grades show encouraging growth but that some grades (notably second grade) continue to lag.

Dr. Cody Reitzel framed the numbers as reflections of individual students and emphasized the district’s focus on monitoring progress, celebrating gains and recalibrating instruction. Assessment Director Andy Peterson reviewed Acadience (K–3) and RISE interim results: Acadience showed significant gains in kindergarten and first grade attributed in part to excellence-plan work, while second grade showed the familiar statewide dip Peterson said has appeared in prior years.

The district switched math to RISE interims this year, which produce scaled scores aligned to end-of-year expectations; Peterson said that change—and some administration issues that produced more "insufficient to score" results in junior-high interims—means this year serves as a new baseline for interpreting interim results. District-wide, Peterson reported a 16% increase in the percentage of students at or above benchmarks in math from the start of the year to midyear and highlighted large gains in fifth and ninth grades.

Board members asked clarifying questions about measurement differences between Acadience (a screener) and RISE (summative rigor), how curricular changes might relate to results, and when more detailed reports (including end-of-year projections) will be available. Staff committed to providing additional materials and to a deeper dive at future meetings.