Curriculum Associates has published an in-depth story about Spartanburg School District 7's i-Ready implementation in its national magazine. The article explores why District 7 chose i-Ready, how we prepared for implementation, the teacher training involved in the rollout process, our goals for student achievement, and what we accomplished during our first year of full implementation. It is a testament to the great work our school-level iReady champions and teachers are doing every day in our classrooms.
Excerpts from the article:
In Spartanburg School District 7, everything begins with a strong culture. Starting with instructional leadership, including Chief Academic Officer Dr. Terry Pruitt and the District's Director of Assessment and Accountability Dr. Glen Carson, along with principals and teachers each understand and contribute to the culture of their schools. In D7, each school’s culture strengthens the academic focus on data-driven learning to increase student achievement. Relationship building, data-based learning models, teacher training and stakeholder involvement are four essential elements of a thriving school environment.
According to Superintendent Jeff Stevens, relationships are key. “All of our educators are in the relationship-building business, and in the business of children. It is part of our core mission - to inspire and equip."
Three years ago, the district implemented forward-thinking learning tools to assess and increase scores for its learners. The use of i-Ready contributed to a significant increase in reading scores, even over the course of the pandemic. Over the period when COVID-19 restrictions were in place, i-Ready Assessment showed significant increases in Mathematics and in Reading.
“i-Ready is two things: It’s an assessment and it’s also an instructional piece,” adds Dr. Glen Carson, the district’s director of assessment and accountability. “The connection between the assessment results and the instructional pieces is the true strength of it because it allows for individualized instruction for all students in a classroom.”
District 7 has also experienced increased student empowerment. Educators have been intentional about sharing detailed i-Ready Diagnostic data with each student, which creates transparency around students’ strengths and struggles. When students directly review their own data and have a chance to discuss it with their teacher, they gain a deeper understanding of where they need to improve, along with increased confidence and motivation to do so.
“All of our programs and initiatives are structured to intersect with the students at the heart of everything,” Dr. Pruitt explained. “If we make sure to keep that in place, we know we’ll get the results we desire.”