Pittsburgh SD reports midyear dip in third‑grade reading, outlines staffing and coaching push

On March 3, 2026, officials for Pittsburgh Public Schools presented a midyear status update on third‑grade English language arts, reporting a current proficiency rate of 43.9% and outlining steps — including more coaching, targeted interventions and stronger publisher accountability — to try to meet the district's interim target of 51.7% for 2025–26.

Dr. Wayne Walters, who led the presentation, said the district’s long‑term goal is 54% third‑grade ELA proficiency by the 2026–27 school year but emphasized that recent data show uneven progress. “Our current proficiency rate of 43.9 makes clear that significant work remains,” Walters said, summarizing midyear results and subgroup patterns.

The presentation focused on multiple benchmark tools. Walters described how DIBELS midyear windows raise expectations and can shift students into lower bands even as they improve relative to earlier performance, and he noted that the district’s CDT diagnostic showed a 7‑percentage‑point gain from beginning to midyear across two…