This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Join their newsletters.
After switching its elementary studying curriculum to at least one aligned with the science of reading, Denver Public Faculties is celebrating a rise within the share of kindergarten by way of third grade college students who ended the varsity yr studying on grade stage.
However the take a look at scores are nonetheless beneath pre-pandemic ranges — a vexing consequence the district is acknowledging by adopting a brand new intervention program to assist essentially the most struggling learners. Research present that college students who don’t learn proficiently by third grade are much less prone to graduate.
The decrease take a look at scores present the lengthy tail of pandemic studying loss.
They point out that the pandemic not solely affected youngsters who had been at school when the virus hit in early 2020, but additionally those that had been too younger to be enrolled. This previous yr’s third graders had been preschool age when COVID shuttered college buildings throughout the nation. This previous yr’s kindergarteners had been infants.
In a press release, DPS reported that 61% of kindergarten by way of third graders this previous spring had been studying at grade stage or above. That’s up from 58% within the spring of 2023.
However within the spring of 2019 — earlier than the pandemic — 68% of kindergarten by way of third graders had been studying at grade stage, which means DPS’ younger college students are nonetheless seven share factors beneath pre-pandemic ranges. Studying and writing take a look at scores for third by way of eleventh graders gained’t be launched till August, however last year’s scores showed a similar pattern.
Previous early literacy information has proven broad, 30-percentage level gaps between the scores of white college students and Black and Hispanic college students that DPS has struggled to shut. The district didn’t launch a breakdown by race of the spring 2024 early literacy take a look at scores.
DPS adopted a brand new studying curriculum
DPS first raised the alarm about the pandemic’s effects on early literacy within the fall of 2021, when take a look at scores confirmed a steep drop within the share of younger college students studying at grade stage. The district laid out a collection of steps to deal with the issue, a few of which had been already required by a pre-pandemic push to spice up early literacy statewide.
Within the 2022-23 college yr, DPS rolled out a new reading curriculum in kindergarten, first, and second grades referred to as Core Information Language Arts. The change was prompted by a 2019 state law requiring colleges to make use of scientifically based mostly early studying packages.
DPS’ earlier curriculum was rejected by the state for not following the science of studying, a big physique of analysis on how youngsters study to learn. One key perception is that educating phonics in a direct and systematic approach helps construct expert readers. DPS’ new curriculum is usually well-regarded each for educating phonics and constructing college students’ background information, which helps with studying comprehension.
This previous college yr, 2023-24, DPS started utilizing Core Information Language Arts in third grade. And this fall, the district plans to roll out the curriculum in fourth and fifth grades.
To adjust to a federal court docket order on how DPS serves English language learners, the district additionally launched a brand new Spanish studying curriculum, referred to as Caminos, on the identical time. Caminos is the Spanish counterpart to Core Information Language Arts.
Jennifer Begley, the district’s director of humanities, credit the brand new curricula — and a bevy of state- and district-mandated training on the science of studying — for the latest enhance within the share of younger college students studying at grade stage.
When the district adopted the brand new curriculum two years in the past, it additionally started coaching academics on how to test students to understand exactly which parts of reading were causing them to stumble, and the way academics ought to handle it. Begley referred to as it an “evaluation choice tree”: If college students are scuffling with brief vowel sounds, what lesson ought to the instructor train subsequent?
“So it’s actually having a stronger system for the degrees of evaluation which are wanted after which how these assessments are driving instruction for college students to shut any gaps they’ve,” she stated.
Extra college students are studying considerably beneath grade stage
Whereas DPS is slowly growing the share of scholars studying at grade stage, one other troubling pattern stays. The share of kindergarten by way of third grade college students who’re studying considerably beneath grade stage jumped through the pandemic — and has stayed there.
For the previous three springs — in 2022, 2023 and 2024 — 23% of DPS Ok-3 college students had been studying considerably beneath grade stage, up from 16% within the spring of 2019, in keeping with district information.
[Related: Kansas public schools relying on blueprint for literacy to build reading skills]
“We might see we had been transferring youngsters into scoring grade stage and above and protecting them there,” Begley stated. “However we weren’t transferring considerably beneath grade stage on the identical charges.”
In an try to assist essentially the most struggling readers, the district is adopting a brand new intervention curriculum this fall. Actually Nice Studying differs from the earlier intervention curriculum as a result of it’s teacher-led as a substitute of computer-based.
The hope, Begley stated, is that a teacher-led program will permit for extra in-the-moment course correction.
“If I’m listening to a pupil mispronounce a sound, I can cease and go, ‘OK, your tongue is within the unsuitable place. Your tongue must be behind your enamel when making the ‘sss’ sound,’” Begley stated. “A pc can’t hear that.”
To adjust to the federal court docket order, the district can be adopting a brand new Spanish studying intervention curriculum referred to as Esperanza.
DPS can be altering its primary early literacy take a look at from computer-based to teacher-led. Most Denver elementary colleges at the moment use a computer-based take a look at referred to as Istation. This fall, most faculties will change to a take a look at referred to as DIBELS the place the instructor sits with every pupil and asks them to call letters, say and mix letter sounds, and browse phrases.
A instructor, Begley stated, will be capable to hear if and the way a pupil is mispronouncing a sound, “so once they begin instruction, they already know that in regards to the pupil.”
[Related: For stronger readers in third grade, start building knowledge in preschool]
With COVID aid {dollars} and state grants, the district additionally invested in high dosage tutoring and expanded summer programming for elementary college college students. However efforts to measure the educational outcomes of these packages have been combined.
***
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. She covers Denver Public Faculties.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit information website overlaying instructional change in public colleges and the trouble to enhance colleges for all youngsters.