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Boise trustees hear kindergarten literacy jump to roughly 80% after curriculum changes
Summary
Deputy Superintendent Johnson told the Board of Trustees on Aug. 11 that spring kindergarten proficiency on the district’s IRI moved from about 50% (pre-pandemic) to roughly 80% this year, crediting curriculum adoption, literacy coaches and all-day kindergarten; the board will review disaggregated data at an upcoming workshop.
Deputy Superintendent Johnson told the Boise School District Board of Trustees at its Aug. 11 meeting that the district saw a marked rise in kindergarten literacy proficiency over recent years, saying the spring kindergarten IRI proficiency rate increased from about 50% in earlier years to roughly 80% this year. "So, going from, in 2019 to 50 percent of students achieving proficiency ... from 50 percent to 80 percent, that is huge celebration," Johnson said.
The board’s goal, Johnson said, is to increase the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level proficiency in reading and math each year. She credited a package of investments — including the board-funded all-day kindergarten rollout, new adopted curriculum, literacy coaches and changes in teacher practice — for the gains. Rebecca, speaking as a principal, told trustees that building principals relied on literacy coaches and that many first-grade teachers are already seeing more proficient students entering their classrooms.
Johnson cautioned that statewide assessment changes complicate direct year-to-year comparisons. The state has moved away from Istation to a tool the district referred to as Emera; Johnson said reporting and vendor changes mean the district will note those differences in its data and examine cohorts over time rather than treating year-to-year figures as strictly comparable this year.
Trustees asked for disaggregated data. Trustee Hassler asked explicitly whether English-language learners and special-education students were included in the headline proficiency figure; Johnson said they were and offered to present disaggregated results for those student groups at a future board workshop. Trustees also pressed on alignment with pre-K and whether gains would translate into later grades; Johnson recommended cohort tracking and signaled a deeper dive at an upcoming workshop.
The board did not take formal action on the early-literacy briefing. Staff said they will present more detailed, disaggregated cohort data and assessment alignment at a subsequent workshop so trustees can monitor how the kindergarten cohort progresses.
