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Waco ISD presents I‑Ready and TCA findings; trustees press on red-flag test results and parent notification
Summary
Dr. Kornblum presented I‑Ready cohort and TCA data showing some cohorts starting the year stronger and flagged elevated red/yellow test flags in middle school; trustees asked for campus breakdowns, parent notification protocols, and how I‑Ready aligns with STAR and classroom grades.
District assessment director Dr. Kornblum reviewed Waco ISD’s beginning‑of‑year I‑Ready scale‑score data and explained how the district is using I‑Ready, taught curriculum assessments (TCAs) and STAR to set targets and design interventions. She told the board that some cohorts began the year at higher scale scores than prior cohorts and that the district’s strategic objective sets targets for both ‘typical’ and ‘stretch’ growth to help close gaps.
“We are keeping the learning as we begin the beginning of the year,” Dr. Kornblum said, explaining cohort comparisons and the color‑coded grade‑band indicators on the district graphs. She also described the district’s retest procedures for I‑Ready when tests are flagged and said trainers and campus staff have been instructed in controlled retesting protocols.
Trustees pressed the administration on reliability and follow-up. Trustee Davis asked what changed to produce the improved starting levels and whether parents are notified when students’ tests are red‑flagged; principals at the meeting described local practices such as private retest locations and campus data trackers. Dr. Kornblum provided counts of automated flags in the I‑Ready data — for example, she reported 171 red flags and 313 yellow flags in middle‑school reading within the testing snapshot provided to the board — and said some flag counts may reflect tests that were in process when the district paused the testing window.
District leaders emphasized that I‑Ready is one diagnostic among many. Dr. Kornblum said TCAs and other taught curriculum assessments will be used to triangulate student needs and guide intervention groups, and she described the district’s plan to provide more campus‑level breakdowns and comparisons from BOY to MOY and EOY on request.
The presentation also covered early math trends, the recent rollout of a new math curriculum and preliminary AP/dual‑credit enrollment figures; board members requested follow‑up reports showing campus‑level BOY-to‑BOY comparisons, TCA correlations to STAR and the district’s plan for parent notifications when tests are red‑flagged.
