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Principals report mixed midyear test trends and sixth-grade ELA staffing gaps
Summary
Elementary and middle-school principals reported midyear assessment results showing modest scale-score gains but falling sixth-grade ELA proficiency; principals attributed staffing shortfalls to a Bureau of Indian Education hiring freeze and said the district expects to present updated FastBridge and state 'NDA plus' data at the March meeting.
District principals presented interim assessment results and described staffing challenges that they said are affecting student performance.
An elementary-school principal explained the difference between FastBridge (a monthly interim assessment) and the state 'NDA plus' test, saying FastBridge is used to track monthly progress while NDA plus is the state accountability test. The principal said the district’s scale scores moved from about 580 in the fall to about 589 at midyear, which was described as a positive trend for some grades. "FastBridge is your interim assessment... NDA plus is your state test," the principal said when answering a board member’s question about the differing data.
The principal flagged a particular concern in sixth-grade English language arts: "Our proficiency level went from 16 at the beginning of the year down to 7% midyear. 5% in advanced up to 1%." The principal said teacher turnover and a hiring delay tied to a Bureau of Indian Education hiring freeze had prevented the district from filling an ELA position; a teacher hired in early December remains off the roster while the district waits for the freeze to lift and final onboarding steps.
Board members asked whether the district had prepared students and whether assessment implementation was consistent across grades; the principal said the district had piloted NDA plus the prior year and that having two years of baseline data helped. The district plans to bring updated FastBridge and NDA plus data to the March meeting and said staff are working to place qualified teachers in grades with the largest gaps.
The presentation closed with a reminder that reports are information-only and can be pulled from the consent agenda for discussion if board members request deeper review.
