Students in the Madison Parish School District’s elementary classes may have been home for virtual learning prior to the Christmas break, but it is not out-of-sight, out-of-mind for Madison Parish School Board officials.
Even before Christmas vacation, MPSB members were already hard at work attacking new ways to improve foundational learning for students, specifically in the area of reading.
During a regular meeting in November, board members discussed options for improving the district’s reading scores, specifically relating to the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) standardized testing currently used to gauge reading competency. While no official change in policy was made during the meeting, board members agreed reading comprehension and oral fluency must be addressed at the earliest stages of learning.
“We’re going to do a really big push,” Superintendent Dr. Charlie Butler said during the meeting. “Our students are coming in behind in reading, and basically every test now is a reading test. It appears it is coming from the lower grades and we need to start there, so students are where they need to be in third grade.”
Ahead of school resuming in 2021, MPSB President Darrell Sims said changing the mindset of educators and students alike is the first step in seeing a surge in district reading scores.
“Most of the data we’re looking at is reactive,” Sims said. “What we are going to have to do is be proactive. When do our children get off track? At what level is the floor falling away from under us.”
DIBELS benchmark assessment tests are typically given at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.
The Madison Parish School Board will next meet Mon., Jan. 4, 2021, at 5:50 p.m. at the Madison Parish Training Center, located at 600 Bayou Drive in Tallulah.
