The Washoe County School Board of Trustees on Tuesday heard an update regarding the first semester of implementation of i-Ready assessments after its approval last April.
Since implementing i-Ready, the district has set benchmark goals of 75% of students testing proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics by the end of Grade 3, with the addition of science in grades 4-8.
Testing is measured through Smarter Balanced assessments, i-Ready assessments, and MAP Growth assessments. The i-Ready data for the district shows that while many students are behind benchmarks, they’re in line with national averages from the pre-pandemic 2018-19 school year.
For fourth graders, 73% are testing at 1 – 3 grades below their benchmarks, while the national norm was 69%. Smith said the data was “enlightening,” especially when it comes to the data surrounding kindergarteners being below grade averages.
“This is an opportunity for strengthening high-quality Pre-K,” Smith said.
These assessments were done at the beginning of the school year, prior to the new instruction offered by MyPath, which provides instruction and lessons to students based on their determined levels.
Throughout the first semester of implementation, students have been meeting their participation goals and weekly minutes, which fall into a “sweet spot” between 30 and 49 minutes per week, according to Sandra Aird, the district’s director of assessment.
I-Ready isn’t an isolated assessment program. Educators are able to look at assessments in real-time to determine if there are widespread gaps in knowledge that they can then use to tailor their own curriculum.
