District presents midyear DIBELS and STAR results, flags Knickerbocker and Ohio Elementary for support

District presenters reviewed midyear assessment data and described next steps for targeted interventions.

The presenter said the district saw increases in students at or above benchmark in kindergarten and in fourth grade, and noted a marked improvement in some grades — for example, a rise from 24% to 38% proficiency in sixth-grade ELA and a jump from 22% to 45% proficiency in one eighth-grade math measure. The presenter also acknowledged declines in specific grades and at certain schools: "We saw an increase in the number of students that unfortunately are well below the grade level" in first grade, and state accountability listing remains in effect for Knickerbocker and—new this period—Ohio Elementary, which has joined Knickerbocker as a comprehensive support and improvement school.

District staff described the intervention model: reading interventionists at Knickerbocker (named in the presentation) work with small groups of six students for 40 minutes per day; math interventionists operate on a similar schedule and teachers use the Number Worlds curriculum and fluency groups in-class. Staff said teacher learning teams and explicit-instruction training (including a training by Anita Archer) are being used to spread practices across grades.

Board members asked questions about curriculum implementation and next steps; staff said grade-level teams and PLCs will meet to adjust intervention groups and to perform deeper analysis of standards where students continue to struggle. The presenter noted that being placed on state accountability lists provides additional resources and state assistance intended to hire more staff and support school-level improvement.