Spotlight on student success at CES

It's American Education Week, a time when educators are recognized for their commitment and dedication to the education of their students. In observance, the Independent is highlighting the work of the elementary staff at Carrington Public Schools.

The spotlight is on student success data, as reported by Elementary Principal Jenna Helseth at the Tuesday, Nov. 8 school board meeting. There, she reviewed elementary student testing data with the board, comparing the standardized tests that the district takes, the NWEA and NDSA.

Staff and administrators use the data from both tests to drive instruction, strategizing how they can impact learning among their students.

Helseth prepared graphs to illustrate how fourth and sixth grade students at Carrington Elementary School (CES) are doing, and how their skills have progressed. The trend lines for sixth grade in math, reading and language arts are ideal, she explained, showing a steady upward slope. As they progress through elementary, more and more students test at proficiency.

The fourth grade class, who tested for the first time in second grade, have a flatter trend line in math. However, 97 percent of them tested at or above proficiency levels in the spring of their second grade year. Helseth noted that with the class sizes at CES, a 5 percent change is likely reflective of one child, so adding one new student to a class who is at proficiency will alter the trend as they work to catch that student up.

One concern she has in the data relates to reading fluency. To evaluate their reading skills, the students take tests that score them on their comprehension, fluency and accuracy.

Fluency is measured by how many words a student can read in one minute. Accuracy scores take note of how many words a student reads correctly the first time. Comprehension is measured by how well the student can understand what they read and retain the information.

Fluency was one area of concern Helseth identified when she reviewed the test results this fall. Notably, the sixth grade data showed that while the class as a whole was on an upward trend through the spring of 2020 (before the COVID-19 shutdown), their fluency scores have dipped in subsequent tests. Using the data, elementary staff engaged in grade level planning meetings to understand what they needed to do.

They asked questions based on the test results, such as "are the kids that struggle with fluency doing okay with reading and comprehension?" Where the answer was yes, they engaged students with intensive intervention strategies. The goal was to show progress, even if it was slow and incremental.

Helm noted that while fluency was a concern, each of the scores represented a single element of overall reading skills, and perhaps one that wasn't as critical as others at this point in their education. "We don't want them to read for speed, we want them to read for comprehension," Helm explained.

While comprehension is important in the upper elementary grades, Helseth added, "Fluency is the biggest indicator of reading success" in early elementary students. Therefore, the administration and staff have a robust intervention program to identify students who need extra help and get them the instruction they need to improve.

Helseth noted that all students complete at least three reading fluency tests throughout the year. The goal is to have 80 percent of students meet or exceed proficiency for their grade level. The remaining 20 percent are placed into groups. The district offers fluency intervention through sixth grade. In lower elementary, they also offer accuracy intervention. A comprehension intervention group is added beginning in third grade, based on NWEA scores.

"We have a great system for interventions," Helm said of the elementary staff and administration.

That's important, Helm added, because the ultimate goal is "collective efficacy," or the collective belief of teachers in their ability to positively affect students. "How we work as a team matters. It is important to the success of our students," Helm explained, concluding that she is pleased with the team in place at CES.

Here are a few other items of note from the Tuesday, Nov. 8 meeting:

Helm received an overall positive superintendent evaluation from the school board after her first four months on the job. "We are grateful for your leadership, hard work, and dedication to our school district. Keep up the good work," wrote President Joel Lemer in his evaluation summary. Future goals include updating policies, review and update of the district's strategic plan and review of student success data.

The Technology Committee met on October 12. Among the topics discussed were issues with charging devices for elementary students, parent concerns that there are too many places (website, apps, social media, etc) to find key district information, and a recent purchase of 36 new iMacs for staff at a cost of $25,086.

The board approved two no-charge tuition agreements for Carrington district students attending school in neighboring districts, one each in Jamestown and New Rockford.

Board members reviewed the Career and Technical Education (CTE) report. The overall summary was outstanding. Watch for more about the CTE programs and staff in a future edition of the Independent.

The next regular school board meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m.