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District to join federal math study and roll out year‑one of a 5‑year literacy plan
Summary
The district will participate in a federally funded study (2024–2026) testing digital math interventions for 4th–5th graders using encrypted STAR data; Miranda Becker presented year one of a five‑year literacy plan emphasizing morphology and increasing students' daily reading time.
Missisquoi Valley School District staff told the board the district will participate in a federally funded research study aimed at addressing a drop in math achievement in grades four and five.
Kosha explained the study will run approximately two years (2024–2026), use STAR assessment data already collected by the district, and randomly assign students to two blind groups to test whether different digital interventions close gaps from prior years. Kosha said participation will include encrypted student data only (no names) and that Renaissance (the STAR provider) will assist with data analysis.
At the same meeting Miranda Becker, MVU English department head and literacy coach, presented year one of the district's five‑year literacy plan. She said the plan has two core goals: increase students' ability to break down unfamiliar words through instruction in morphology (prefixes, roots and suffixes), and increase the daily amount of time students spend reading and writing across subjects. "We really have two goals," Miranda said, describing morphology instruction and greater reading time.
Becker outlined grade‑level word‑part lists (roughly 20–30 items per grade) and emphasized cross‑curricular work so social studies and science teachers can help students access complex text. Board members asked how the district will measure comprehension and how teachers will make time for more reading and writing; presenters described department planning, classroom check‑ins during independent reading, and professional development to give teachers concrete instructional strategies.
District staff also reviewed changes to the early‑childhood Stars process: this year will be a no‑fault application under a revamped assessment system using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System for observations, giving the district time to implement continuous quality improvement while temporarily maintaining its five‑star rating.
Officials said they will share ongoing data with the board as the math study and literacy implementation proceed.
