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Lower Moreland highlights midyear MTSS gains at Pine Road, citing DIBELS and iReady growth
Summary
District leaders told the board Feb. 18 that Pine Road Elementary’s MTSS/Lion’s Time and new Panorama tracking have driven reading and math gains: DIBELS at/above benchmark rose from ~37% (fall) to 61% (winter); iReady reading rose from ~34% to ~66%.
Lower Moreland Township School District leaders presented a midyear update on the Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) on Feb. 18, describing how a combination of daily targeted instruction (Lion’s Time), a unified data platform (Panorama) and expanded diagnostic screening are informing interventions at Pine Road Elementary.
Caitlin, Pine Road’s building presenter, said Lion’s Time is a daily 25‑minute block in which students receive targeted intervention or enrichment outside core instruction. “Our teachers and our MTSS team really have a much more thorough understanding of student needs,” she said, adding that specialists can now meet with students daily during that block.
Mister Cole (district instructional leader) explained the tier structure the district uses to organize supports, saying Tier 1 represents universal instruction for all students, Tier 2 targets roughly 15% of students and Tier 3 is the most intensive support for about 5% of students. He described Panorama as a “game changing” platform that compiles disparate academic, social and attendance data in one place and enables unified progress monitoring.
Staff reported reading assessment gains at Pine Road and across early grades: DIBELS at/above benchmark rose from about 37% in the fall diagnostic window to 61% in winter, while iReady reading showed a rise from about 34% to 66% in the same period. Caitlin attributed much of that movement to targeted phonics work (model lessons and classroom coaching) aimed at improving nonsense‑word fluency.
Nancy (Pine Road) presented math data using iReady, reporting an increase from 16% at/above benchmark in the fall to 44% in winter for elementary math, and reductions in the proportion of students categorized as “well below” across grade bands.
Board members asked detailed questions about how progress monitoring is administered and whether teachers receive help while testing. Staff said progress monitoring for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students is typically completed by classroom teachers during Lion’s Time, often using quick checks (one‑to‑two minutes) or brief exit tickets to minimize instructional disruption. On DIBELS benchmarks, staff noted DIBELS thresholds change across diagnostic windows while iReady’s proficiency comparison is set to grade‑level standards for the year. “DIBELS gives us a more nuanced approach,” Caitlin said, while Cole explained that using both tools helps target different instructional needs.
District leaders said professional development and coaching remain priorities as teachers adopt new assessment and data workflows. Staff also said parent diagnostic reports (I‑Ready and DIBELS) were being distributed to support home‑school collaboration.
The presentation concluded with board members and staff agreeing to continue monitoring cohort growth and bring additional data later in the spring diagnostic window.
