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Souderton Area SD reports strong midyear MAP gains; principals point to MTSS and PBIS strategies
Summary
District curriculum staff told the committee midyear MAP and MAP Reading Fluency data show strong fall‑to‑winter achievement and growth across elementary and middle grades; principals described MTSS expansion, PBIS incentives and family engagement practices that they say are driving gains.
Dr. Kennedy Riley told the Souderton Area School District committee that districtwide fall‑to‑winter MAP results show both high achievement and strong growth across multiple elementary and middle‑school grade bands. “The data will show that,” Riley said, framing the presentation around the district’s MTSS (multi‑tiered system of support) approach and a “whole child” emphasis.
Riley summarized district aggregates and said the median student sits in the high‑achievement/high‑growth quadrant on the district scatterplots. She reported district reading achievement roughly in the low‑80s percentage range for average‑to‑high‑average and growth rates for reading and math in the 60–80% ranges for students moving from average to high average, describing the results as evidence the district’s instructional and intervention systems are working.
Principals at several elementary schools and middle schools described how they used MAP and other measures to guide instruction. Mrs. Furlick said the district added TEL testing for English learners and uses counseling groups and tier‑2 referrals to drive instruction for ELs and students needing behavioral supports. “The TEL test … tells us reading, writing, speaking and listening,” she said, and the team uses those data points to shape small‑group instruction.
At Oak Ridge, Principal Mr. Hope said the school has embedded MAP in MTSS, created a half‑hour “flight time” for targeted supports and enrichment, and increased MTSS offerings and student engagement. “We have 17% more student engagement during this time from where we were at this point last year,” Mr. Hope said.
Todd Burns, principal at Salford Hills, described flexible grade‑level math enrichment and a leadership program he called the South Hills Blue Crew; Burns said those tiered supports are intended to move more students into the upper‑right quadrant of high achievement and growth. Dr. Graff at Burnfield and Mrs. Hatfield at West Broad described teacher‑led professional development, reflection forms for behavioral data and spirit tags tied to PBIS and MAP growth incentives.
Board members asked questions about TEL timing, whether low‑performing students are concentrated in subgroups (Riley said low performers are distributed across demographics and that the district responds to individual student need), and expectations for spring MAP results as new curricula and pilots are phased in. Administrators said MAP is given three times a year and is used together with other qualitative information to set goals and adjust instruction.
The committee heard that the district will continue to use these midyear results to refine interventions and that principals will return with further building‑level detail as needed. No formal vote was taken; the presentation moved to policy items after board Q&A.
The district presentation and principals’ remarks are part of ongoing curriculum oversight; the administration said it will provide more detailed, multi‑year forecasting and building‑level follow‑ups at future meetings.
