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Mill A School District reports midyear assessment gains; staff caution on interpretation
Summary
District staff told the board in March 2026 that winter benchmarks show gains in reading and math after adopting I‑Ready and new curricula, with the presenter saying the school had made about 125% of expected annual reading growth midyear; staff noted caveats for small, mobile cohorts and first‑exposure effects.
Kelly, a district staff presenter, told the Mill A School District board in March 2026 that winter assessment results show measurable gains after the district implemented I‑Ready diagnostics and aligned curricula.
Kelly reported winter enrollment of 17 at PCIA and 36 at Mill A and described the assessment approach: I‑Ready diagnostics for ELA and math, a Core Phonics Screener for students who tested below grade level, and tiered interventions including Phonics for Reading, Read Theory and personalized myPath lessons. Jessica, a classroom instructor, said the phonics curriculum has been engaging and well received by students.
On reading, Kelly said the share of students at mid or above grade level rose from 14% in the fall to 29% at midyear; the overall on‑grade (green) cohort rose from 17% to 37%. Students one grade below decreased from 49% to 23%, and students two or more grades below shrank as well. "All of the metrics that should have shrunk did and all of the metrics that we would want to grow did," Kelly said, calling the results "really promising."
Kelly also presented growth metrics calibrated to I‑Ready expectations: at midyear the school had achieved roughly 125% of its annual growth target and about 34% of students had "stretch growth" (more than a year's worth). She cautioned that small cohort size, student mobility and the fact some students were taking I‑Ready for the first time can inflate midyear growth numbers and recommended focusing on year‑end and longitudinal trends.
Math results showed similar improvements: the mid/above group rose from 6% to 14% and early on‑grade from 11% to 31%; students three or more grade levels below fell from 11% to 3%. Staff described myPath and targeted tier‑2 interventions as the primary tools to address math gaps.
On attendance, staff reported a PCIA average attendance rate of 88.57% and noted that in a small school a single outlier can move averages substantially. Kelly said 70% of the returning cohort were already at or above 90% attendance and emphasized culture and family engagement as levers to improve consistency.
The board praised instructors and asked for further detail at the next reporting cycle; staff said the next formal benchmark will be at the end of the year and that longitudinal monitoring is needed to confirm trends.
The district's winter data presentation began in SEG 373 and concluded at SEG 1285.
