Tempe Union presents fall ACT/preACT practice results showing cohort gains and subgroup gaps

Acting academic staff presented the district's fall ACT and preACT practice-assessment results and outlined next steps for instruction and interventions.

"This presentation today is really related to the first, 2 board goals for this current year," the presenter said, introducing baseline data for ninth through eleventh graders. The district administered the practice tests Sept. 5 and used cohort comparisons (ninth-to-tenth and tenth-to-eleventh) to measure within-student change. Staff noted that ninth- and tenth-grade students take a shorter preACT with lower cut scores while juniors take a longer ACT practice test with higher proficiency thresholds.

Findings presented: English and reading showed steady gains from ninth to tenth grade across most schools and subgroups; math was the lowest-performing area and showed mixed results, with only modest gains for some cohorts; science showed gains from ninth to tenth but not when comparing tenth to eleventh because the eleventh-grade cut score is substantially higher. The presenter highlighted small-subgroup caveats (for example, Pacific Islander cohorts of roughly a dozen students) and emphasized that item-level analysis and teacher-facing worksheets will guide targeted interventions.

Board members pressed for more detailed reporting. Member Hodge asked what the district will do to close subgroup gaps, especially for Hispanic, Native American and African American students; the presenter said the district is analyzing data in detail and that winter practice testing will follow the full ACT schedule so juniors receive the entire allotted time. Vice President Steele and Member Barraza requested disaggregation by special-education level and item-level reporting at the PLC and teacher level; the presenter said the district is building dashboard reporting to provide that information.

Next steps: teachers will analyze results on Oct. 9 in PLCs, use pivot tables and worksheets provided by the district to identify focus standards and item types students miss most often, and develop intervention plans at PLC and individual-teacher levels. The district will administer a winter practice assessment that follows the ACT schedule and will report additional comparative data.