District reports steady gains amid testing changes; social studies flagged for review

La Crosse School District staff presented the 2.1 academic performance monitoring report on Nov. 4, saying students in grades 3–11 demonstrated "reasonable progress" in English language arts, math and science while social studies in one grouping did not meet the threshold for improvement.

Mr. Fimrite, who presented the data, explained that the Wisconsin Forward Exam introduced new cut scores this year and the district also changed its assessments (the ACT-Aspire replacement) in recent years, which affects direct year-to-year comparisons. "The change in the state's cut scores did not substantially increase their percentage while our data stayed the same," a presenter said, adding that the testing revisions should produce "more reliable data for assessing student growth in the future."

Board members asked about comparable districts and resource allocation. Staff said they had identified five or six districts with similar size and demographics for comparative analyses. The presentation included discussion of a strong correlation between poverty and test performance; staff cited a working estimate that about 70% of variance in test results correlates with poverty at a district level and noted the district's poverty rate is roughly 52% compared with a 35% state average.

The board and staff then discussed targeted interventions — lower student-to-staff ratios and additional TAs at high-need schools, community school resources, social workers and special education staffing — as strategies to improve outcomes over time. The superintendent recommended continued monitoring and an upcoming vote on compliance at a future meeting.