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District reports mixed results in Year 3 of Every Student Reads initiative; staff to move to site‑level interventions
Summary
The district’s Every Student Reads Initiative showed mixed outcomes in year three: substantial median growth for many students but only one subgroup met the board’s 3 percentage‑point target. Staff said next steps include site‑level data dives and targeted interventions.
At the June 18 meeting the board heard a year‑three progress report on the Every Student Reads Initiative (ESRI). Presenters said districtwide foundational shifts in early‑reading instruction produced sizable gains in earlier years, but only one subgroup met the specific 3 percentage‑point improvement target this year.
Staff described median growth measures showing strong improvements for students who started below grade level; presenters said the initiative must now move from global adoption to site‑and classroom‑level interventions. A classroom teacher who appeared in a short video described integrating new curricula and phonics instruction and said those changes helped struggling readers make measurable gains.
Board discussion focused on interpreting gains and setting future goals. Trustees suggested shifting from a uniform percentage‑point target to measures that track cohorts of students across years, consider year‑to‑year baseline changes, and emphasize both proficiency and growth measures (for example, percentage of students making at least a year’s expected growth). Trustees also asked staff to report which specific interventions—computer lessons or in‑class practices—are producing measurable gains.
Next steps: Staff will ask sites to complete classroom‑level data reviews in the fall and present revised ESRI goals for 2024–25 based on site findings and intervention effectiveness.
