District administrators presented a K–8 assessment review showing sustained gains in both English language arts and math over four academic years, while noting persistent gaps between white students and students of color.

The report, delivered by district assessment staff, compared district proficiency to New York State figures and included cohort analyses and NWEA MAP results. Administrators said district proficiency in ELA rose substantially since 2021–22 and that math performance also showed multi-year improvements. The presentation included 2018–19 pre-pandemic data as a reference point.

"Wehave reduced the gap between our proficiency and that of the state as a whole over time," one presenter said, noting increases at most grade levels and cohort gains (for example, a third-grade cohort that was 29% proficient later reached 46% when the same cohort was in fifth grade).

The presenters highlighted that gains have been largest in some elementary grades (notably fourth and fifth grades) and that NWEA data show students largely making at least one year of growth for a year of instruction. They credited targeted professional development, aligned Tier 1 instructional guides, coaching, and implementation of early-literacy materials for part of the progress.

Board members and staff discussed several concerns: a decline in proficiency for some middle-school grade cohorts this year, uneven subgroup progress (black, Hispanic/Latino and multiracial students remain behind white students), and the need for deeper analysis of the academic transition from elementary to middle school. One board member asked whether shifts to computer-based testing or new state standards explained changes; staff said they do not attribute current gains to testing format and instead pointed to instructional changes and coaching.

District leaders outlined next steps that include strengthening a system-wide instructional framework, reinforcing multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS), analyzing formative and summative data to plan interventions, and focusing on differentiation at secondary grades to accelerate learning for students both below and above grade level.

Administrators said they will dig deeper into grade 7 trends and disaggregate cohorts further to identify causes behind specific dips and to design targeted supports. They also committed to providing additional subgroup comparisons (including state-level subgroup trends) in future reports.

The presentation closed with a call to continue school-by-school improvement planning and to bring the board updates as more disaggregated analysis becomes available.