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Nettle Creek reports mixed assessment results, highlights reading intervention and teacher development
Summary
At a Nettle Creek School Corporation board meeting, district staff said second-grade iRead 3 results met local goals and outlined checkpoint and iLearn assessment results, intervention outcomes and professional-development steps to raise proficiency; the board did not take action on instructional policy.
Nettle Creek School Corporation officials reported mixed results on reading and other grade-level assessments and described how targeted interventions and teacher professional development are driving improvement.
Mrs. Locke, who led the Hagerstown Elementary School presentation, said second-grade iRead 3 scores stand at 50%, compared with the district goal of 40. "2nd grade is at 50%, and our school goal is at 40%," she said, adding that the school was "super excited" with the outcome. Mrs. Locke also explained that the current third-grade pass rate numbers reflect differing cohorts: a 56% pass rate for the cohort just tested but a higher overall figure (84%) when including students who passed previously as second-graders and moved with the cohort.
The district described how the "Every Child Can Read" intervention has been used with small cohorts. According to the presentation, nine third-graders participated in the program; eight of those nine students passed after the intervention. Staff said they are graduating students from the intervention as new cohorts enter before the next testing window. Speakers noted the summer iRead 3 testing window opens May 11, with an additional opportunity during summer school for students who need it.
District leaders reviewed iLearn checkpoint and summative assessment performance across multiple grades and subjects. The presentation noted areas where the corporation outperformed state averages (for example, some 5th-grade checkpoint proficiencies above the state) and areas where it trailed (for example, some 3rd-grade math checkpoint percentages were below state figures). The district emphasized its "cluster" professional-development model, which brings teachers together weekly with instructional leaders to analyze data, design targeted instruction and share practices from higher-performing classrooms.
The superintendent also highlighted a 100% graduation rate reported for the previous year and noted that the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has rolled out a new accountability model that will return school letter grades. "We'll be looking at that new accountability model with our leadership team and determining what it looks like for us," the superintendent said, adding that new legislation on accelerated math is another area staff are monitoring.
The district framed its approach as continuous: using checkpoint data to identify skill gaps, delivering targeted interventions for students who have not yet achieved proficiency and sharing successful instructional strategies across grade levels. No board action on instructional policy was taken at the meeting; the presentation served as an informational update ahead of future planning and goal-setting.
Among celebrations, the board recognized two second-graders who earned perfect scores on the iRead 3 assessment and noted that state and county officials have acknowledged district teachers for recent achievements.
