School board reviews all-day kindergarten

Literacy scores rise for the first time since 2014

TORRINGTON – The Board of Education considered the effect of all-day kindergarten on the literacy of Torrington students this week.

Assistant Superintendent Susan Lubomski presented scores achieved on the Developmental Reading Assessment by city pre-school students and kindergarteners in recent years on Tuesday. The district implemented full-day kindergarten in 2014.

In the school years since, kindergarteners have tested better on the Developmental Reading Assessment during the spring than the 2013-14 cohort, with at least 62.1 percent of students achieving or exceeding the goal on the assessment in the three classes, compared to 44.4 percent in 2013-14.

“When you look at the significant gains that students had as we go through

the full-day K years, which were 2014-15 and beyond, you can see really stunning results,” Lubomski said. “So that is very exciting.”

Special education kindergarten students have also seen their scores rise over the 2013-14 group, with at least 28.6 percent reaching or exceeding the goal in the spring in each of the three years, as compared to 14.6 percent.

The 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 groups achieved similar results on the reading assessment in first grade, with the 2013-14 class reaching a high water mark of 50.5 percent of students at or above goal in the spring, the 2014-15 class reaching 59.1 percent and the 2015-16 class reaching 51 percent.

Lubomski noted a lack of reading intervention support in 2016-17 school year for the latter class. 20 such positions were eliminated from the budget, she said.

When students near the goal were factored in as well, the 2014-15 class demonstrated better scores than the 2013-14 group through second grade.

“Half-day versus full-day, full-day really was having an impact,” Lubomski said.

To continue towards better literacy scores, Lubomski said data analysis was being conducted, student support was to be offered by reading and math specialists — termed RTI positions — and curriculum would be implemented more regularly.

The Fundations reading curriculum had not always been implemented in the district in recent years, Lubomski said. It was implemented for first grade two years ago, but always during the next year for the second grade. It is now being used consistently, she said.

The presentation also included data on 36 students in a pre-school program at East School paid through grant funding — students had seen their scores on the DRA assessment improve between the spring and the fall, with 58 percent reaching or exceeding proficiency.

Superintendent Denise Clemons said this was the first year the district was considering such a data analysis.

“We're just starting,” said Clemons.

Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Assistant Superintendent Susan Lubomski presented recent reading assessment scores for district students to the Torrington Board of Education Tuesday.