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Administrators say new national norms skew Jefferson’s early literacy screening results
Summary
District staff told the board that a national re-norming of the early literacy screener makes year-to-year percentile comparisons unreliable, explains changes to first-grade composite scoring, and noted Act 20 requirements for screening windows and summer progress monitoring.
Katie (presenter) walked the board through the district's early literacy screening data for pre-K through third grade and said a national re-norming of the screener produced major shifts in percentile cutoffs that make direct year-to-year comparisons misleading. "They updated the norms... a student could have scored the exact same raw score," she said, "and that 15 also... might make you fall into a different risk level."
Katie explained that first-grade risk is now based on a composite score that combines several measures rather than a single oral reading fluency metric, and she gave an example of letter-naming thresholds that rose substantially between years. The district's goal is to reach about 80% proficiency on the measures used to define Tier 1 success; current composite proficiency is about 55% districtwide, she said.
She outlined the district's process for students who score below the 25th percentile (diagnostics and individualized reading plans), data-review meetings with principals and reading teams, and how interventions are selected (classroom, push-in, pull-out, or specialized teachers). Katie said Act 20 requires screening windows be completed 45 calendar days before the last school day, and some third-grade reading plans will extend into summer school with progress monitoring during summer sessions.
Board members asked about assessment reliability, training and certification for staff who administer one-on-one assessments, and whether norm changes could be compared using a stable 'bridge' assessment. Katie said teachers are certified on protocols, the district holds data review meetings after each screening window, and she said staff can produce comparability reports using legacy assessments if the board wants a manual comparison.
The presentation signaled district steps for next year: implementation of a phonics-aligned intervention (Phonics Blast) beginning May 22 for targeted students and continued staff coaching to shift from day-to-day pacing to differentiated instruction informed by the screener's diagnostic data.
The board did not vote on the presentation material; the discussion identified follow-up items such as providing comparative trend tables and clarifying summer monitoring plans for families of students with reading plans.
