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Miss Garcia says school shows high achievement but ‘‘bottom thirtieth percentile’’ growth
Summary
At a Randall J1 School District meeting, Miss Garcia presented test-score data showing high overall achievement but comparatively low measured growth; elementary-level gains were highlighted, and trustees asked staff for grade-level breakdowns and multi-year comparisons.
Miss Garcia, a presenter at the Randall J1 School District meeting, said the school ranks “in the bottom thirtieth percentile for growth” even as overall achievement remains comparatively high. She told board members the proportion of students in the I-Ready “green” growth band rose substantially at the elementary level this year, from about 31 percent to roughly 75 percent.
The presentation framed growth as the district's ‘‘value added’’ measure: Miss Garcia said that while the school has many high-achieving students, the key metric is how much those students improve year over year. She noted that at the start of the year 3–4 students were three or more grade levels below; by the most recent report that group had fallen to a single-digit count.
Board members asked whether the improvements reflected curriculum changes, targeted interventions or differences in which students took specific assessments. One board member said that schools with already-high scores naturally show smaller percentage increases than lower-performing schools, and urged staff to present multi-year baselines to clarify trends. Miss Garcia acknowledged that ‘‘correlation is not causation’’ and described greater cohesion in instructional planning this year and use of CKLA and unit planning aimed at consistent practice.
Members also queried subject-level results and timing: Miss Garcia and staff discussed math, science, STEM and the preACT administered at the end of eighth grade, and noted that changes in test length or administration could affect comparisons. A district staff member said the district maintains historical data across administrations and offered to provide grade-by-grade breakdowns for board review.
The meeting record shows no formal action or vote on curriculum or assessment changes. A staff member asked trustees to submit follow-up questions by email or to notify Jeff, and the board indicated it would review the additional data before deciding on any policy changes or targets.
