District recommends resetting academic baselines after state recalibrates NDAplus assessment

District leaders recommended the board revise district academic baselines to reflect the state's transition to the NDAplus assessment and recent recalibration of scores.

Superintendent Brenner said that, because the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and vendor Pearson found calibration issues in the 2024–25 testing administration, the department has recalibrated results and intends to use 2025–26 NDAplus outcomes as the new baseline. "We encourage the board to consider revising our academic goals using the new 2026 North Dakota ... NDA plus assessment results as the baseline," Brenner said. Chief Academic Officer Amy Barch explained the NDDPI process, noted that aggregate recalculations and public reporting were delayed (portal release moved to Sept. 18 and district aggregates expected later in October–November), and recommended the board wait for the recalibrated aggregate data before finalizing any target changes.

Board members questioned confidence in the updated platform and asked for a timeline; staff said they expect recalibrated aggregates by mid-October and the district could return with formal recommendations early next year if DPI meets its timeline. Trustees discussed the district's guardrails for goal-setting, the mechanics of aligning local progress-monitoring systems (STAR, local pre/post assessments) with the new state scale, and the sensitivity of small-cohort statistics (for example, Native American graduation-rate fluctuations driven by small cohort sizes).