District reports gains in primary grades but flags upper‑elementary gaps in math and reading

At the board meeting, Dr. Thomas presented a new integrated grade‑level performance report and said the district saw notable growth in early grades while upper elementary grades still require focused intervention. "We have in math 47% of our students are proficient, and 49% are proficient in reading," Dr. Thomas said, and added the district is above the state reading average cited in her remarks.

Dr. Thomas emphasized that the state now looks at growth as well as achievement and highlighted striking gains in primary grades: kindergarten showed 77% proficiency in math and 87% in reading; third grade math proficiency rose to 47% with urgent‑support students dropping substantially, and second grade urgent‑support numbers in math fell from 40% to 11% in the year‑to‑year report. "That means we had 20% of those kids who started there are up now," she said of math interventions.

At the same time, the superintendent flagged persistent challenges in fourth through sixth grades — particularly fractions and complex operations in math and tougher comprehension demands in reading — and urged continued investment in K–3 literacy accelerations, sustaining math momentum and spreading successful interventions into upper elementary. Board members asked operational questions about how interventionists are deployed; Dr. Thomas said "every school has an interventionist" and described a mix of pull‑out and in‑class supports.

What happens next: the administration recommended continuing early literacy accelerations, maintaining intervention models in K–3, and developing targeted supports for grades 4–6; specific program and staffing plans will be part of next year’s planning cycle.