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Presenter: assessment data show skill gaps; district to push PSAT, AP training and school-level interventions
Summary
District presenters told the board that current state assessment results reveal skills gaps—particularly for students in economically disadvantaged groups—and outlined immediate classroom-focused interventions, plans to expand PSAT testing and to increase AP teacher training and grader participation.
The district's assessment presenter told the Board of Education that current state test results are being used now to diagnose skill gaps at the classroom level while the district waits for comparative district and state data.
The presenter said about 25% of the district's students are classified as economically disadvantaged and that socioeconomic differences explain a large share of achievement gaps across districts. "When you look at the scorecards ... the rate of economically disadvantaged students in the district" matters, the presenter said, calling it "a key to all of this." He urged the board to focus on skill-level interventions that teachers can use immediately rather than waiting for complete comparative reports.
Why it matters: the presenter argued that item-level state data allow the district to identify specific deficits—vocabulary and word meaning in ELA, interpreting claims and arguments in higher grades, and geometric reasoning and early statistics in math—and to push those findings to schools for targeted supports. The district plans curriculum-committee follow-up and additional school-level meetings this fall to move data into instruction.
The presenter highlighted concerns about the validity and usefulness of some assessment measures. On Regents tests, he said he has "the least amount of faith" because some Regent items may not align clearly to standards, and cautioned that the district needs additional cross-checks (PSAT/SAT/ACT data) before changing policies tied to those scores.
On college-preparatory measures, the presenter reported healthy AP participation—"about 650 high school students sat for about 1,500 AP tests last year"—but variability in the proportion of students scoring a 3 or better across courses. He recommended three levers to improve AP outcomes: more recent AP training for teachers, longer continuity (teachers staying in the same AP course year-to-year), and opportunities for teachers to serve as AP graders.
Board members pressed for specifics on opt-outs and representativeness. The presenter acknowledged opt-out rates are low in elementary grades but rise through middle and high school and estimated opt-outs could top about 25% in some grades; he flagged concern that opt-outs may be concentrated among students in lower socioeconomic groups, which would bias proficiency measures.
On next steps, the presenter said the administration will: - Provide comparative district/state data when available and continue the curriculum-committee work in October; - Share school- and teacher-level skill reports that translate test items into classroom actions; and - Explore next-year universal PSAT administration during the school day to create a consistent, low-stakes source of cross-district information.
The presentation concluded with board members encouraging expanded capstone opportunities (AP, Seal of Biliteracy, homegrown capstones) and continued work to ensure access and proportional participation for all student groups.
