The Rochester City School District is making changes to turn around low achievement scores in math and reading.
More than 85% of city students in kindergarten through eighth grade were behind in their literacy and math skills this past spring, district data show.
Math and reading scores through iReady assessments at the Rochester City School District improved slightly this past school year, but the vast majority of students are still testing below grade level, according to a district report to the city Board of Education this week.
The program iReady is an online learning tool for assessments and supplemental instruction.
Kindergarteners showed the largest improvement in reading skills from the start of the school year. Ninety percent scored below grade level at the start of the year, but a third were caught up by the spring. Common reading skills developed in kindergarten include knowing the alphabet and identifying sight words.
School board commissioner Camille Simmons is the chairperson of the student equity committee. She says the fact that most kindergarteners are still testing below grade level is “disheartening.”
“When I look at the kindergarten and they're coming in one grade level, they're already at a deficit. And we recognize that lack of pediatric care, early grade assessments, and not getting some of that training even prior to getting into the school building are part of the issue,” Simmons said. “And then we take it from there.”
Overall, students in grades K-6 saw some improvements in their reading and math scores. However, seventh and eighth graders remained stagnant -- more than 60% scored three grade levels below.
In response to chronic low achievement, the district is putting new language arts curriculum in place for this coming school year and will add new math curriculum the next year.
Starting next month, the district plans to start new reading and language arts curriculum at primary and middle schools.
Chief Academic Officer Stephen LaMorte said to improve student achievement, it’s critical to respond quickly when test scores show gaps in learning.
“The teacher is not on their own, but they have an instructional coach there to help them. They have reading and intervention teachers who are also skilled at that,” LaMorte said.
The greatest improvement in scores last school year was made at School 46. About a third of students raised their reading and math scores to a level of proficiency. Data assessments and conversations with students were a key element to that progress, LaMorte said.
The third-grade classroom of teacher Jnita Dixon at School 52 showed the best outcomes out of any in the district. Consistent personalized instruction based on assessments helped make that possible, LaMorte said, and it’s something that is replicable in other classrooms as well.
