Bridgeport midyear assessments show gains in reading and math; officials outline interventions
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Summary
District presenters told the committee that midyear literacy (DIBELS, Reading Plus), NWEA MAP math and pre‑K assessments show pockets of growth and identified targeted interventions—small‑group instruction, pop‑up PD and a 'wind' acceleration block—to continue improvement.
District content leaders presented midyear assessment results to the Instructional Support Services Committee on March 25, describing modest-to‑substantial growth in some grade bands and outlining how staff plan to use the data to target instruction.
The literacy presenter reviewed DIBELS and Reading Plus midyear data and said the district "moved kids" into higher performance bands while some students in the lowest band ('red') remained stagnant; staff described targeted small‑group instruction, daily progress monitoring and 10‑minute "pop‑up" professional development videos to support teachers. "We're using this information on a daily basis for progress monitoring those students that are in the red," the presenter said.
Mathematics director Edminio Pizzo Planas presented NWEA MAP Growth results and emphasized growth as the primary measure; he highlighted kindergarten and ninth grade as areas of particularly strong performance and described efforts to ensure certified math teachers in middle and high school grades, along with an acceleration model called the "wind block" to target deficits. The director noted that some grade levels remain focal points (fourth–sixth) and described cross‑certification and targeted supports for teachers.
Director of Early Childhood Lindsay Davis presented pre‑K assessment results showing steady growth across language, motor, social‑emotional and numeracy domains and that more pre‑K students were assessed at midyear than at fall.
Board members asked about participation rates, device access for Reading Plus lessons and how to increase student engagement with Khan Academy and other practice tools. Staff answered that most schools are 1:1 with devices, that lessons are paced differently across playlists and that principals are tracking completion as part of school accountability.
Next steps: staff will continue targeted interventions, share disaggregated data with schools and bring follow‑up materials and participation metrics back to the committee.
