The Wilton Lyndeborough Cooperative School Board heard some positive news across most grade levels regarding student proficiency at its most recent meeting. Curriculum Coordinator Samantha Dignan shared the results of iReady, a testing program that assessed student competencies in math and reading. 

“The ninth grade shows increase of those student on grade level in math to 44%,” Digman said, adding that grades six to eight also showed increases in students who are performing at grade level in the subject.

“In the middle school, we are scoring fairly consistently with the state and the nation, if not slightly better at this point in the year,” she said, adding that fewer grade seven students are testing below grade level, as well. 

“In grades two to five, we are scoring fairly consistently above the state and nation,” and “the percentage of fifth grade or below grade level has decreased by 10%,” said Digman. She noted that 10th-graders showed a decrease in students at or above grade level by 9%. 

“They (10th-graders) don’t always take it seriously,” said WLC Middle High School Principal Tom Ronning, referring to the iReady test. He added that “Tenth grade is the toughest grade, and they start to take (testing) seriously in the 11th because of the SAT.”

In reading, 57% of grade six students performed at or above grade level, registering an increase in the percentage of students reaching grade level, as did grades four and five and seven through 10 per the iReady assessment, which found 54% of grade four performing at or above grade level.

“We are outperforming the state and the nation with our reading scores,” Dignan said.

Director of Student Support Services Ned Pratt said at the meeting that the rate of students being identified for special education is increasing, and that this is “a natural situation that has been happening since COVID.” Pratt said that the national and state rates for students identified for special services are below those in the district. One reason he offered for this was that there are “gatekeeper states" -- “where it is very, very hard to get (special education) eligibility.”

An ongoing cost with special education is transportation, said Pratt, explaining that “we are limited to 18 students to a bus, and if we go over it, it’s another $80,000 for another bus.”

In other news, the board recognized senior basketball center Ben Jacob for scoring his 1,000th point as a Warrior this month. Athletic Director Amber Brewster introduced Jacob to the board and noted how his father had also scored over 1,000 points when he played for WLC in the 1990s. Brewster said that Jacob will receive a team ball which will be placed next to his father’s in the school’s trophy case. 

Asked whether a graduation date was set, Ronning said that it had not, as they are waiting on snow days. Seniors may have only five fewer days than other grades.

Speaking on residents’ support for their district, board member Jonathan Lavoie said, “There is a school district not too far away from us almost on shambles. The towns that go to them are trying to leave because of their tax situation. We want to stay as attractive as possible, as some of those towns border us.”