Reading scores remain stable in 2006-07

The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on the 2007 CSAP reading test remained fairly stable over 2006 scores with only one area showing signficant decline. The number of fourth-graders scoring proficient or advanced dropped by 12 percentage points over the previous year. The percentage of students scoring advanced remained stable at 13 percent, and the percentage of students scoring unsatisfactory also remained stable at about 5 percent.

To improve reading achievement, the district has adopted the “Response to Intervention” model to identify struggling students early in the learning cycle to provide critical support before they fail.

The RtI process begins with teachers defining what students should learn and by when. They then develop frequent assessments to monitor student progress toward meeting those learning goals. When assessment data show that students are struggling, teachers change the way they deliver instruction based on a student’s learning needs. The cycle repeats itself with interventions that increase in intensity if the child continues to struggle.

This is the type of work that teachers undertake in their Professional Learning Communities each Friday. Clear learning targets, along with teacher collaboration, produce teaching and learning strategies that work for kids.

This process has been particularly effective in the reading program, especially as parents have encouraged the district to address barriers like dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities. When parents and teachers identified the kinds of instruction these students needed, teachers obtained training in reading programs that have proven effective with children who have learning disabilities.

Last year, for example, more than 40 special education teachers enrolled in a five-day workshop to learn Language!, a highly effective instructional program for students who struggle with reading. Other teachers have completed training in a variety of intensive multisensory reading programs, including Lindamood-Bell, Spalding, Sounds and Syllables, Corrective Reading, Wilson, and Orton-Gillingham. Multisensory instruction uses sight, hearing, touching, and other senses to engage different learning pathways in the brain.

Teachers discuss which strategies to use with their students during their Professional Learning Communities, and intensity of instruction depends on student needs. Some students who fall behind may need only a few sessions of small-group instruction to catch up, while others may need one-to-one tutoring with instructional strategies that the regular classroom teacher reinforces throughout the day. Depending upon a student’s intensity of need, the student may qualify for special education services defined in an Individual Education Plan. That’s why collaboration is so important. Special education teachers, reading specialists, and others with specific training in these techniques share their expertise with their peers so that all teachers use consistent instructional strategies for each student throughout the day.

Teachers use a similar process for gifted students who advance more quickly than their peers. Teachers identify advanced learning targets and provide support through the district’s Gifted Education Program. Frequent assessments monitor student progress as identified in the student’s Advanced Learning Plan.

In its accreditation contract with the Colorado Department of Education, the district must meet a performance target of 80 percent proficient and advanced. The district also has set reasonable progress goals. See them here:

Reasonable Progress

he following is a copy of the Monitoring Report that the district submits to the Board of Education for its review. A seven-year summary of test scores my be found in the Databook.