D49 Students Outpace State and Nation in Multiple Achievement Categories

Standing atop a mountain of fresh data, School District 49 is celebrating its students, families and workforce for delivering an inspiring upward surge in achievement. Results from regularly applied assessments from school year 2023-24 show elevated performance among many D49 student groups in primary literacy and mathematics. Members of D49’s Learning Services Team presented these results to the Board of Education at the end of June. 

D49 closely tracks student progress throughout the year using the Star™ and DIBELS™ assessment tools. Each of these testing frameworks produce reporting that can be applied to a national model of standards. Deploying a regular cycle of testing tells a more complete story of student progress through the school year compared to the annual, state mandated CMAS exam. Digging into the nationally normed Star and DIBELS data provides evidence-based results that affirm all students are growing with D49’s approach to classroom instruction, coaching and intervention. 

“The numbers tell an exciting story,” said Peter Hilts, D49 superintendent. “D49 is moving all students farther, faster as a direct result of the dedicated efforts of our teams and their commitment to the students and families who have chosen D49. This is the trajectory we will build upon in the school year ahead.”  

Some of the key findings for literacy over the course of SY 23-24 (fall to spring) include: 

• Nearly 80% of D49 K-3 students met or exceeded DIBELS standards at the conclusion of SY 23-24. 
• Year-end assessments showed D49 almost doubled its number of primary school readers (K-3) meeting the highest standard. 
• D49 instructors and coaches at the school and district level reduced the number of D49 students in the most at risk status by more than half through high quality instruction. 

Compared to national data:

• D49 outpaced their peers on the national level in every primary grade level K-5. 
• 70% of D49’s third grade readers scored at or above DIBELS standards compared to 56% of readers their age nationally.
• D49’s percentage of students in the below benchmark category is substantially lower than the national average. For this analysis, the lower the number, the better the performance.  
  • Example:
    • Second-grade well below benchmark: National | 25% 
    • Second-grade well below benchmark: D49 | 15%  

       

Georganna Rappaport, D49 Coordinator of Literacy Performance, also reported notable progress in reading proficiency and growth among D49’s primary grade levels. Learners in all grades marched upward in reading proficiency – A measure of if a student is reading at or above grade level – and soared above the 65% state average in growth, which is how a student grows over time when compared to their academic peers. Kinders, third and fifth graders showed the strongest growth among D49 students.

• Student Growth Percentile (Fall to Spring) 
  • Kindergarten - 77.3%
  • Third grade - 72%
  • Fifth grade - 73.2%

“This is the best data that I’ve seen for this district,” said Jamilynn D’Avola, vice president of the D49 Board of Education during Rappaport’s presentation. “This is so exciting to see.” 

Mirroring a longstanding commitment to growing young readers through primary literacy (grades K-3), D49 is entering its third school year pursuing a long-range prioritized focus on mathematics. The D49 math team is using a multi-faceted approach of blending new curriculum in middle and high school settings, investing in additional classroom coaches and interventionists and a grant-funded program D49 calls Mission: Deploying Numeracy Achievement (Mission DNA).    

Results in mathematics include: 

• In a single year, D49 overall tracked a double-digit improvement in its proficiency rate of nearly 11%, smashing the SY 22-23 rate of change of two percentage points.
• In particular, D49 saw exceptional growth among its military connected students. At the outset of SY 23-24, one year into the math achievement approach, nearly 50% of D49 military connected students (K-5) were at or above standard - more than three times higher than the number in that category from the previous year.
• The positive trend continued throughout the year, concluding with more than 50 percent of military connected students finishing SY 23-24 at or above benchmark. 

“This is exciting because it tells us our military-connected students in particular had no summer slump,” explained Christina Tiernan, D49 Coordinator of Math Performance. “Students are making sense of math, as a result of what teachers and instructors are applying in the classroom with Math DNA.”

As the undisputed statewide leader in offering exceptional educational choices, School District 49 is proving not only that there is a place for all students, but that all students are growing with the exceptional instruction from their teachers and support from attentive and invested parents. 

“There is plenty of trail in front of us. We know the summit is still ahead, which is why we will continue climbing,” Hilts said. “Tracking the upward progress of our learners, however, is exciting and fulfilling. We want all families to know: If you want to launch students to success, then D49 is a great place to start.”