The Thompson School District (TSD) released the results of the thrice annually (beginning, middle and end of the school year) results from a K-8 assessment program known as “iReady.” The report concluded that while progress was made from the beginning of the year assessment to the most current, middle of the year assessment conducted in December, that performance still trails pre-pandemic results. Furthermore, TSD students’ performance levels are “similar” to results in other Colorado school districts and “slightly higher” than the national average.

According to the presentation, “iReady is a diagnostic assessment that Thompson School District uses district-wide in grades 1-8 for reading and math. It is administered online in fall, winter, and spring. The district uses iReady Reading as the State approved assessment in compliance with the Colorado READ Act legislation for literacy. Assessment results are used by teachers, school administrators, and district instructional leaders as one part of a body of evidence in reading and math to help measure student achievement and growth. Teachers, school administrators and instructional coaches, use iReady data to inform purposeful data driven instruction through grouping for targeted instruction for each student.”

Furthermore, the district explained how as “matched cohort analysis” is used to measure not only performance in absolute terms but also to measure progress from the first to the second (and ultimately, to the third) assessments. “Both measures are important to review to ensure that all students are making progress from whichever baseline or initial BOY score they received,” the presentation stated.

For the reading assessments, which 7,707 tests were completed at both the beginning and middle of the year, the progress was positive. In the first assessment, 35% scored “at or beyond grade level” while 15% were three or more grade levels below standards. By the middle of the year, 48% of results were on or above grade level while just 11% were three or more grade levels below.

The math assessment shows similar results, which data showed received 7,615 students taking both the beginning and middle of the year assessments. Students preforming at or above grade level increased from 21% to 37% while those performing three or more grade levels below dropped from 15% to 9%. Students in the middle of the data set – those who performed one grade level below – for math was the largest sample from both assessments, but the of those students in that category declined from 47% to 42% from the beginning to the middle of the year assessments.

In other news, on Monday, it was announced that the TSD would life the mask mandate for students and staff who use district transportation (primarily school busses) beginning on Tuesday, March 1. In a press release announcing the move, the district stated the move was made to align with federal, state and county requirements. While wearing a mask on district transportation is now optional, and not required as it was previously, the release stated, “As always, the district will continue to support students and staff who wish to wear masks.”

The presentation for the board meeting on Wednesday, March 2, which occurred after press deadline, paints a mostly positive picture of COVID-related issues within the TSD. While the district dropped the in-school mask mandate last month and the mandate for riders of school busses, the district retains several other protocols including contract tracing, symptom reporting and required isolation for five-days (or sooner with negative test) and subsequent mask requirements for days six-through-10. “This is the primary way we keep COVID out of our classrooms and schools,” the presentation stated.