Elementary content supervisor showcases district assessment tools to target math and writing gaps

Melinda, the district’s elementary content supervisor, told the Pembroke School Committee on Dec. 3 that the district is piloting an online assessment platform for grades 3–6 designed to give teachers instant, item-level information to guide instruction.

She said moving district math benchmarks into the platform lets teachers see which questions students miss and why, and then produce targeted practice. "It shows the strengths and weaknesses of each question," Melinda said, adding that the tool produces per-student and batch reports that teachers and Title I staff can use to plan reteaching.

The main aim, Melinda said, is to make data usable in real time: teachers can identify a common distractor on a question and reteach that concept immediately, rather than waiting for manual scoring. She demonstrated a feature she described as a "redirect" button that, when used, gives students practice items on standards they missed: "I can redirect them with a click of a button," she said.

Committee members asked about privacy and who can access the data. Melinda said teachers can view their class data; building principals have broader access; she said the district is still deciding whether and how to share individual reports with parents in this first year of implementation. "This is our first year using it...that is one of the conversations I want to bring back to principals and administrators," she said.

Melinda also described the work of PLCs (professional learning communities) and common planning time across the district’s three elementary schools as the principal avenues for using assessment results. She said teachers are piloting related programs for writing and reading and that the district plans vendor walkthroughs and targeted professional development so staff can learn features and integrate the tools into instruction.

The committee discussed whether older students should immediately see their scores; Melinda said immediate release could be appropriate for fifth and sixth graders with guidance, while the district retains options to manage visibility and provide supports.

Next steps include completing the first benchmark cycle, reviewing item-level data at common planning and PLC meetings, and bringing recommendations about parent access and professional development back to the committee.