Board accepts third-grade literacy monitoring report as district posts modest STAR gains to 49% meets
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Summary
The board accepted the monitoring report on Goal 1 (third-grade literacy). District staff reported a rise in STAR Reading meets-or-above to 49% (up from 47%), correlation between MAP second-grade screening and STAR results, and next steps focused on fidelity to HQIM, PLCs, coaching and family engagement.
The Austin ISD board accepted a monitoring report on third-grade literacy on Nov. 6 after district staff presented data and next steps. The report showed the percent of third-graders earning "meets grade level or above" on the STAR Reading assessment increased to 49% from 47% in the previous year.
District view and evidence: Assistant Superintendent Mary Anne Maxwell told trustees the 49% result met the district's annual target and is aligned with statewide STAR results for the same year. The district presented a correlated progress measure: the percent of second-grade students in the NWEA MAP reading proficiency range that predicts intervention—staff said reductions in that MAP-identified intervention population align with gains in STAR outcomes.
Next steps: District staff said they will continue to invest in high-quality instructional materials used with fidelity, scale coaching and PLCs through lighthouse/learning-lab campuses, expand family-facing communications and workshops, and track progress with formative and curriculum-based checks in addition to the STAR summative.
Board action: Vice President Willie Chu moved to accept the monitoring report; Trustee Singh seconded. The board voted to accept the report during the Nov. 6 session.
Why it matters: Third-grade reading proficiency is a leading indicator for long-term academic outcomes and is central to the district's goal of ensuring students read on grade level by the end of grade three. Staff emphasized that early-childhood instruction, intervention, and targeted coaching contributed to the district's modest improvement.
Evidence: District presenters included data tables and school-level outlier examples (Campbell, Blackshear, Galindo, Wynn Montessori) that illustrated improvement at a handful of sites.