District 20 reports midyear MAP Growth and DIBELS gains; third‑grade reading near annual goal

Academy District 20 assessment and learning‑services staff presented midyear results for MAP Growth and DIBELS (READ Act) testing, reporting improvements district‑wide and explaining how changes to vendor norms affect comparability with past years.

Jolene Patterson and Kelly Lourla (literacy TOSA) walked trustees through the district’s balanced assessment system and the new MAP Growth 2025 norms. Staff said MAP’s updated norms and algorithms mean this year’s MAP scores are not directly comparable with prior years' results, but the district’s relative standing remains strong. Presenters showed that the district moved students from lower to higher achievement bands between fall and midyear testing (staff cited 479 students moved into higher reading bands at midyear).

DIBELS 8 results for kindergarten through third grade showed strong midyear performance: 74% of third graders tested at or above the middle‑of‑year benchmark, which staff said leaves the district one percentage point from its 75% third‑grade benchmark goal for the year. "At middle of year, we're already at 74% of our students that are scoring in that at or above grade level," Kelly Lourla said, adding that the district will continue progress‑monitoring and interventions.

Staff emphasized the district uses MAP Growth as an interim, nationally normed benchmark and intends to use IXL and local progress monitoring as instructional tools. Board members asked about cohort tracking and the district said student‑level growth analytics are available and that they will provide cohort trend information on request.

Trustees praised instructional teams and professional learning communities for using assessment data to inform interventions and instruction.