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Wilmette SD 39 reports strong spring assessment gains; district met early literacy and numeracy KPIs
Summary
District presenters reported NWEA MAP spring results showing mean RIT scores above national means and strong growth percentages; early literacy and numeracy KPIs were reported as met (92% and 89% respectively). Leaders emphasized moving toward short‑cycle assessments to support classroom instruction.
Wilmette SD 39 administrators told the Committee of the Whole on June 8 that spring assessments show broadly strong student performance and growth across grade levels.
Kristen Swanson and other presenters reported that ASWeb Plus early literacy and numeracy (K–1) results show more than 80% of students meeting benchmarks; the district said it had met its early literacy KPI (92% meeting the goal) and early numeracy KPI (89% meeting the spring target). "This success is the direct result of a deliberate and concentrated focus on our foundational literacy skills," a district presenter said.
On the NWEA MAP (grades 2–8), presenters emphasized that the district's mean RIT scores consistently exceed national means across grades. Because NWEA implemented new norms this year, presenters cautioned that percentile comparisons with prior years are affected; RIT‑scale comparisons are not. District highlights included unusually high concentrations of students in the 90th percentile (more than 40% in reading for many grades) and 25th/50th percentile results consistently above national medians.
Growth measures were a focal point: most grades showed between 62% and 81% of students meeting or exceeding their growth projection on MAP (math performed particularly strongly). Eighth‑grade reading met growth for 44% of students — lower than other grades but described as an improving trend over several years.
District leaders said they are shifting emphasis to "short‑cycle" common assessments and more frequent progress monitoring so teachers can act on evidence faster; MAP remains a useful growth metric but is not designed for weekly or quarterly decisions. The district also plans to incorporate MAP and curriculum measures into a new scorecard that will track quarterly short‑cycle improvement efforts.
Board members asked whether shifts in NWEA norms explained abrupt percentile increases; presenters confirmed that new norms raise percentile ranks for equivalent raw scores and said they will report both percentiles and RIT scores to clarify year‑to‑year patterns.
Next procedural step: staff said they will roll the assessment findings into the district scorecard and present short‑cycle assessment proposals as part of the strategic plan action steps in September.
