Superintendent Davis Eidahl and Associate Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Josh Lyons gave an overview of the Solon Community School District’s (SCSD) academic performance (compiled from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, or “ISASP”) during the July 18 regular meeting of the SCSD Board of Education.

English Learning Arts (ELA)

Lyons presented a comparison of class proficiency for third-eleventh grade for the 2021-2024 time period showing a decrease in third (from 76% to 71%) , fourth (78% to 69%), fifth (78% to 76%), sixth (91% to 87%), and tenth grades (92% to 89%), seventh graders matching last year’s proficiency (90%), and increases in eighth (91% to 96%), ninth (88% to 91%), and eleventh grades (86% to 89%).

“Third, fourth, and fifth were not where we wanted to be in regards to those results,” said Lyons.

Math

Improvements were seen in third (76% to 81%), sixth (84% to 85%), seventh (81% to 90%), eighth (89% to 91%), ninth (86% to 88%), and tenth (88% to 89%) with the fourth graders showing the greatest improvement as they went from 58% to 72%. Fifth (73% to 67%) and eleventh graders (89% to 88%) showed decline.

“We’ve been having lots of conversations (since April and May) with SIS (Solon Intermediate School) in regard to this data and think-through the variables that may be getting in our way of the results that we want to see,” said Lyons. “ISAS is (done) one time per year, but it is data that we do look at.” Lyons added he and Eidahl have encouraged SIS to visit with and do more collaboration with the middle school staff to identify what the teaching methods they are utilizing in ELA and Math. “We realize that, obviously, they all teach one subject area and that they are focused and hone-in on that; but we are going to try to do more collaboration with fourth-fifth, and sixth-seventh-eighth to identify some of the strategies and things that are working well,” said Lyons.

Science

Grades five, eight, and ten were assessed with fifth graders showing a decline (74% to 69%) while eighth graders improved (79% to 82%) and tenth graders dipped slightly (85% to 82%). However, Lyons noted overall the district surpasses the state average. “We’re always way above the state,” said Lyons. “I think the state is usually around 50-55% proficient and we’re typically well-above that. Our middle school science is really strong and our high school science is really strong as well.”

Cohort Trends

Lyons showed cohort (comparisons by class) trends from 2021 to 2024 noting ISASP testing was not conducted in 2020 due to the pandemic and early end to the school year. The district began taking the ISASP tests in 2019, however Lyons focused on “post-pandemic” data, which was fairly consistent across the class of 2022 through the class of 2033 with proficiencies ranging from a low of 66% (class of ’29 science in 2022) to highs of 96% (class of ’23 ELA in 2021 and class of ’28 ELA this year).

NWEA MAP testing

The district takes multiple snapshots of students’ academic progress throughout the year with one tool being NWEA MAP (North West Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress) tests. NWEA is a division of publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and provides academic assessments for pre-K-12th grade students. The district administers the test three times per year in the fall, winter, and spring with “higher growth” and “higher achievement” shown. Lyons expressed his and the teaching staff’s frustration when proficiency and growth seen on the MAP tests isn’t reflected on the ISASP’s yearly assessment. MAP testing is not a timed test (typically taking about an hour to complete) and adapts to the individual student, said Lyons. “If a kid gets an answer wrong it might give him a little easier question, or if they get it right, the sky’s the limit. That’s the best thing about MAP, it will take you as far as you can go and we’ve got kids that are pretty impressive.”

Individual building achievements and reports

Lakeview Elementary reported 78% of their K-3 students were reading on or above their grade level.

Lakeview gained a Behavior Interventionist (BI) this year, who was accessed by 46 students, 11 of which had an IEP (Individual Education Plan) or a 504 Plan (a formal agreement between the family and school for medical or psychiatric conditions, which would allow the child to be in school). 19 of the 46 had multiple referrals and 75% of the teachers accessed the BI for support. The BI responded to over 321 calls, often going to a classroom.

SIS reported 63% of students were reading on or above grade level and 89% gained at least two levels this school year. In writing (utilizing On-Demand Assessments), SIS 4th graders achieved 61% proficiency while 5th graders were at 31%. However, 94% of SIS students taking the NWEA MAP test in math showed growth. 35 SIS students (17%) accessed the BI with 166 total intervention requests.

The middle school’s (MS) Benchmark Reading Assessments showed 83% of sixth graders were proficient, 89% of seventh graders were proficient, and 92% of the eighth graders were proficient. MS students participated in a “40-Book Challenge” with 51% of the sixth graders, 55% of the seventh graders, and 92% of the eighth graders meeting the challenge to read 40 books. The MS also noted a decrease across all three grade levels in students receiving an “F” in the final quarter with a 25% decrease for sixth, 62% for seventh, and 52% for eighth graders in ’23-’24 compared to ’22-’23 figures.

45 Solon High School students participated in Kirkwood’s academy programs, 24 participated in an internship, and 66 completed a job shadowing experience.

Next steps

Eidahl called the ISASP results “broad data,” and noted the information had been shared with the principals as they work to refine their plans, priorities, and goals for their buildings ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. He also reiterated Lyons’ statement that there would be more partnering between the buildings and additional assessments throughout the year in an effort to catch problem areas sooner than later.

The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be held Thursday, August 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the Central Office Board Room, 301 S. Iowa St.