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District reports strong NWEA/HMH gains; administration outlines literacy and leveling plan
Summary
Curriculum director Dr. Raylan Howard told the board the district saw substantial growth on interim assessments this year — including a cited 79% growth figure for K–Algebra math growth — and described plans to expand MTSS, Keys to Literacy, and targeted coaching with the intermediate unit.
Curriculum Director Dr. Raylan Howard presented district achievement and growth results to the Pleasant Valley School Board on May 21, highlighting gains on NWEA interim assessments and the impact of newly adopted instructional tools.
"Our kids this year, we grew 79%," Dr. Howard said as she reviewed districtwide math growth for kindergarten through Algebra cohorts and explained how NWEA growth percentiles indicate the district moved many students out of lower-performance bands. She also described reading improvements tied to HMH and noted that PVE (an elementary) in particular showed standout growth.
Dr. Howard outlined a multi-year action plan: continue HMH implementation, roll out Keys to Literacy at middle school and then grade 5, expand MTSS/strategic leveling across buildings, partner with the intermediate unit for coaching, and increase dedicated literacy instruction time (a 48-minute block added at the middle school, equating to roughly 140 extra hours next year). She said the district will monitor progress and adjust groups midyear to respond to observed growth.
The board applauded the gains and asked for additional disaggregated data. Administrators said parts of the high-school data are skewed by small course rosters (for example, some grade-level charts represented very small numbers of students in a given course) and that a fuller high-school rollout of assessments is planned next year so leaders can see comprehensive secondary-level results.
Context: Dr. Howard's presentation was attached to the meeting packet and was described as the first year of implementation for some programs (HMH year 1) and the start of a multi-year rollout for others (Keys to Literacy, Acadience, Lililo). Contracts tied to instructional tools were discussed earlier in the meeting as items recommended for Ready to Learn funding (PVI WAGL / HMH and CodeHS for STEM). The board plans to share the presentation and celebrate staff and teacher contributions at an upcoming staff event.
Provenance: Curriculum presentation and data review (SEG 2474'SEG 3664).
