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Superintendent: strong K–1 reading and big second‑grade gap prompt deeper analysis
Summary
Superintendent Kelly presented I‑Ready and cohort data showing high kindergarten and first‑grade proficiency, strong year‑over‑year growth in many grades, but a puzzling low proficiency in second grade and persistent gaps for English learners and students with special education services; staff will return with more disaggregated cohort analysis in August.
Superintendent Kelly reported to the Roselle School District 12 board that overall student growth on I‑Ready this year looked strong in several grades, but a second‑grade proficiency anomaly and persistent subgroup gaps require direct follow-up.
Kelly explained the district separates ‘‘growth’’ (how much a student improved from fall to spring) from ‘‘proficiency’’ (whether a student reached grade‑level expectations by spring). ‘‘You can see that overall our grade levels did very well,’’ she said, noting kindergarten and first grade showed particularly high proficiency. At the same time, second grade showed about 49% proficiency despite many students demonstrating large year‑over‑year gains. ‘‘That says that they’re coming in lower,’’ Kelly said, ‘‘and they did not finish low last year,’’ underscoring the need for cohort comparisons.
The superintendent flagged persistent achievement gaps between English learners (EL) and non‑EL students, and between students receiving special education services and those who do not. She said the district will ‘‘dig in deeper, one learner at a time’’ to determine whether factors such as identification timing, service refusals, or curriculum alignment explain the differences.
Kelly also highlighted attendance as a strong signal of outcomes: students with 95% or higher attendance outperformed chronically absent peers. ‘‘Being in school matters. It matters to their growth and it matters to their level of achievement,’’ Kelly said. The board discussed the district definition of chronic absence and noted missing about 18 days formally fits that label.
On math, Kelly said growth was generally positive but singled out grade‑specific flags — including lower proficiency in sixth grade — and called for an intensified instructional focus as the district develops strategic goals.
The board asked for year‑by‑year side‑by‑side comparisons (fall and spring scores by cohort) and for standards‑level breakdowns; Kelly agreed to return in August with additional cohort growth data and root‑cause analyses to determine whether the second‑grade proficiency result reflects a timing/assessment issue or true gaps in learning.
Ending: The board did not take action on instruction during the meeting; superintendent staff will prepare deeper cohort and standards analyses and bring refined recommendations in August.
