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District presents NWEA results and plans to scale literacy and math supports
Summary
District leaders reported spring NWEA growth and achievement, described elementary successes, plans for a secondary literacy coach, math interventions and strategies to scale targeted instruction across schools.
District instructional leaders presented a spring district improvement update on June 16, reporting growth and achievement measures drawn from NWEA data and previewing targeted steps for 2026'27 to scale gains across buildings.
Rhonda Henry, assistant superintendent for innovation and strategic initiatives, and Margaret Hendrickson, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, described Wood Creek Elementary's 5th-grade model (three 30-minute targeted acceleration blocks in literacy and math and a teaming model) and Longacre Elementary's 4th-grade gains as examples of how focused professional development and aligned resources can produce measurable outcomes. The presenters said these site-level results informed district plans to scale best practices.
Presenters reviewed NWEA metrics, distinguishing achievement, growth and conditional percentile ranks. The district reiterated a prior board target that each grade level aim for 65% of students meeting expected growth; presenters said many elementary grade levels are close to or reaching that target while middle school growth lags. To address the 5th-to-6th transition dip, staff said they will increase articulation between grade-level teams, convene 6th-grade team meetings, and refine MTSS structures.
Instructional changes highlighted include a move to strengthen small-group instruction, explicit fluency and vocabulary work, prototyping Course Mojo for immediate writing feedback, expanded use of Newsela for differentiated texts and writing supports, a planned secondary literacy coach to support lesson study cycles, and continuing Magma Math and Illustrative Mathematics adoptions with coaching cycles to deepen classroom practice.
Board members asked for and were offered follow-up data on the 5th-to-6th transition and results from building-level articulation meetings. Presenters said state assessment data will begin arriving in July/August and that further deep dives will occur at retreats and board briefings.
The presentation closed with trustees expressing urgency about scaling changes to reach broader growth targets and appreciation for staff work.
