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Monroe School District presents 2023–24 assessment results and launches districtwide MTSS plan
Summary
District instructional leaders and Mike Crowley presented 2023–24 assessment results showing strong ELA cohort gains and mixed math results, and introduced a formal multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to coordinate interventions and progress monitoring across schools.
Mike Crowley, the district presenter, opened the assessment presentation by handing board members an annual assessment booklet and describing what the state accountability index now measures. "The accountability index... is really the state sort of the North Star now," Crowley said, noting the index factors growth, chronic absenteeism and access to arts and PE in addition to test scores.
The presentation highlighted strengths in ELA and areas for targeted work in math. Crowley said Monroe’s Smarter Balanced results for grades 3–8 showed 73.6% of students at or above goal in ELA, placing the district roughly in the top 12% of Connecticut districts. He added that math remains an area of focus, with some grades below the district peer average.
Principals and instructional leaders described curriculum changes and supports tied to those results. Elementary leaders described a K–3 evidence-based phonics program and expanded ASWeb Plus screening, which will now be used in grades 4–5 to inform small-group instruction. For math and science, staff noted adoption of Illustrative Math, Building Thinking Classrooms strategies, Bridges Intervention for targeted help, and formative protocols to provide immediate feedback.
Board members asked for clarity on year-to-year interpretation and the recurring dip when students transition from grade 5 to 6. In response, instructional leaders stressed cohort-tracking (following the same students over multiple years) and pointed to investments in a certified math interventionist and more consistent pacing as steps to close that gap. "We're looking to get rid of [the 5-to-6 dip]," one school leader said, describing earlier successes in moving students up one achievement band.
The presentation also covered secondary measures: PSAT/SAT familiarity initiatives and strong AP pass rates in many courses. District leaders said they will give students more exposure to test formats and increase opportunities to take practice assessments. They also emphasized that the district is implementing Performance Matters, a data warehouse that will let teachers view benchmarks, local assessments and state data in one place to guide interventions.
Next steps include continued principal-level growth planning, use of the Performance Matters platform to monitor progress, and rollout of a districtwide MTSS structure that will meet regularly and produce a comprehensive MTSS handbook by next summer to guide implementation in 2025–26.
