An Iroquois Central School District administrator told the board that a structured reading program begun districtwide in 2022–23 — including Orton-Gillingham training for teachers — coincided with measurable gains in early-grade reading skills, but some older cohorts still lag.

“Once we started talking about phonemic awareness and phonics in a more intentional way, scores did jump up,” the administrator said, noting the district implemented the reading program in 2024–25 and has emphasized adult learning through study groups and coaching. The administrator said new teachers participated in intensive OG training during onboarding and that teachers across grade levels now use shared instructional materials and pacing.

Middle-school students Mikayla Castro and Salvatore Carlino reported on recent student work and service: “The goal was surpassed by collecting a total of 1,192 food items” for Danny’s Helping Hands, the pair told the board during the student report.

District data reviewed for the board showed AIMSweb oral reading fluency (ORF) and accuracy targets the administration wants to meet: 98% accuracy in benchmark items and a target that about 95% of students score above the 30th percentile on key measures. The presenter said fourth-grade ORF and accuracy measures are trending upward — roughly in the 70% range in recent points — while a cohort of fifth graders who did not receive earlier OG-aligned professional development is closer to 60% on comparable measures.

Board members pressed whether a 100% proficiency goal is realistic. The administrator said the district aims for high growth and suggested a 95% target may be more attainable given students with significant learning disabilities, adding that sustained, systemwide implementation and tiered interventions are necessary to close remaining gaps.

On math, the presenter said AIMSweb math subtests show high performance on screener items (around 90% proficiency on some measures) but cautioned that isolated-skill screening can overstate classroom performance and that math instruction is “brutally compounding,” requiring aligned curriculum and consistent practices between elementary and middle grades. The administration noted the current math publisher will stop producing the district’s adopted materials in two years and that the district will begin a teacher-driven selection process for a successor.

Board members asked for additional context on chronic absenteeism, which can affect test results and ratings; the board requested district-level absenteeism numbers to be provided at a future meeting. The administration also described classroom-level strategies — choral reading, close reading, repeated reading and explicit vocabulary instruction — it has expanded into non-reading classes to reinforce literacy across subjects.

The board heard that student engagement activities (pumpkin-lighting, color run, classroom leadership opportunities) are used as qualitative indicators of connection, while administrators said they will also provide more objective measures such as collaboration logs, MTSS referrals and attendance data.

The administration said the literacy rollout is early-stage (second year in many buildings) and emphasized continued teacher supports, coaching and periodic data reporting to the board as the district seeks to translate early gains into durable achievement improvements.