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Hingham schools report strong midyear gains in reading and math; fourth‑grade dip prompts targeted attention
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Bridal Pollard told the Hingham School Committee on March 9 that midyear MTSS data show notable gains across grades in reading and math, with kindergarten through second grade benchmarks high and special‑education cohorts making sizable progress; the committee flagged a recurring fourth‑grade dip for follow‑up.
Assistant Superintendent Bridal Pollard presented the district’s middle‑of‑year MTSS (Multi‑Tiered System of Supports) assessment results to the Hingham School Committee on March 9, reporting widespread progress in reading and math and underscoring the data’s role in shaping targeted interventions.
"At this middle of the year benchmark, 75% of our first graders are at or above benchmark," Bridal Pollard said, and she reported comparable midyear results for other early grades, including 79% of second graders at or above benchmark and up to 84% of kindergarteners at or above benchmark on selected measures. She said third and fifth grade cohorts have already met or exceeded typical annual growth at the midyear point.
Why it matters: the MTSS measures (including i‑Ready and Acadience for early grades) feed six‑week data reviews that guide Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, allowing teachers to regroup students and adjust instruction before year end. Pollard emphasized that the midyear snapshot is most useful for identifying students who need different or additional supports.
The presentation called out specific domain‑level needs: comprehension of informational text in grades 3 and 4, and vocabulary in grade 5. Committee members questioned a recurring pattern of a performance dip from third to fourth grade; Pollard and other staff said the change is partly driven by increased complexity of texts and morphological/vocabulary demands in fourth grade, and by assessment differences and cohort starts. "We do consistently see that drop in fourth grade with a slower growth towards the typical annual growth, but we do see it even out by fifth grade," Pollard said.
Special education cohorts showed notable gains. Pollard highlighted growth for students with disabilities—examples cited included grade‑level cohorts moving from the 40s–50s percent range earlier to substantially higher midyear progress percentages this year—and said small cohort sizes can make percentage swings appear large, underscoring the need to review individual student data.
Math results were also strong: Pollard reported that all grade levels are exceeding expectations for typical annual growth, with special‑education students in grades 1–5 showing faster gains than in previous years. She noted pilot use of the Bridges math program in several classrooms and said it will be monitored for impact on future scores.
Committee members asked how parents could see where individual students stand; Pollard said that conferences and classroom assessments will provide family‑level context and that the universal screener is one of several data points teachers use when discussing progress.
What comes next: staff said they will dig deeper into the fourth‑grade pattern and explore curriculum pacing and summer supports to smooth transitions. The MTSS team will continue six‑week progress reviews and provide updated data at future meetings.
