Ontario SD 8C hears reading-assessment results; district plans new interim testing and targeted interventions

Christy Swan, the district’s early literacy coach, told the Ontario SD 8C school board that the district will implement the state-required interim assessments under Senate Bill 141 and present interim results to the board three times a year.

Swan said the district selected I-Ready for the K–8 interim assessments because staff were already using the platform. "We were already paying for I-Ready, already know how to use I-Ready, so we selected I-Ready," she said, and added that the district will also continue using existing benchmark measures so leaders see a fuller picture of student progress.

Swan front-loaded the most concerning data point: "Our third graders overall proficient were 14% this year, which was a dip from last year, 22%," she said, and explained that part of the gap appears to be test-format familiarity. She told the board the state test’s split-screen PC format is new to third graders and that the district is building experiences to mirror that format so students can demonstrate what they know rather than be disadvantaged by navigation or keyboarding skills.

At the same time, Swan presented improvement in the upper elementary grades. Fourth-grade spring proficiency was 43% (state 44%), up notably from the prior year; fifth grade rose from 29% to 38% this year, and several grades showed meaningful growth in one-minute passage-reading fluency. Swan noted growth numbers for fluency by grade (for example, first grade from 20 to 51 words per minute; second grade from 54 to 82; fifth grade averaging 161 words per minute) and said those measures inform instructional placement and interventions.

Swan described how the district is using existing curriculum plus new tools to address both format and skill needs. She said district technology coach Mackenzie Fuller will convert grade-level texts into interactive split-screen practice using the district’s Amplify content and AI to generate practice items; Swan emphasized staff will vet AI-created materials before classrooms use them. "McKenzie is working on that curriculum this summer," Swan said.

Swan also described other near-term steps: adding focused writing-intervention time, relaunching PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) to reduce behavior-related lost learning time, conducting fidelity checks in tier-one and tier-two instruction, and tracking novel-study groups for advanced readers. She said staff are already adjusting early units and grouping students differently because end-of-year benchmark data show many kindergarten and first-grade students are performing above earlier expectations.

Board members asked clarifying questions about how long the assessments take, when keyboarding and split-screen practice could start (Swan said second grade midyear is feasible), and whether the interim-assessment reports will be provided to the board routinely (Swan said the board will receive these data three times annually). The work session ended with a request from board members to keep providing granular, grade-level reports so trustees can follow growth and identify where additional support is needed.

What happens next: the district will continue the implementation work over the summer (curriculum vetting and AI review) and will bring interim assessment reports to the board during the next school year on the cadence required by Senate Bill 141.