Practical Strategies for Growth that Move the Needle on School Report Cards

Your growth scores are below 3.0. Or maybe they're at 3.0 and you know your students are capable of more. Either way, you're looking for concrete strategies that will actually move the needle. Not vague advice about "doing better" but specific, actionable approaches that translate into measurable gains.

After working with districts across Wisconsin to improve growth outcomes, we've seen what works. Here's what actually accelerates student learning in ways that show up on your report card.

The Work That Matters

Growth scores measure whether you're moving students forward. Not whether students arrive proficient, but whether you're accelerating their learning beyond what would typically be expected given their starting point.

That's the work that matters. Not sorting students into categories but ensuring that every student, regardless of where they start, makes meaningful progress. These strategies, when implemented with fidelity and monitored consistently, translate into measurable growth. That's what shows up on your school report card. More importantly, that's what changes the trajectory of students' lives.

Use Data That Actually Drives Action

Annual assessments tell you what happened last spring. That's valuable, but it's lagging data. You can't steer a ship by looking only at where you've been.

Monitor leading indicators weekly. Track student attendance rates, chronic absenteeism, office referrals, and students sent out of class. These predict academic outcomes and, critically, you can intervene immediately when you see problems emerging.

Implement interventions immediately. When you identify a student sliding toward chronic absenteeism in October, don't wait until December to act. Involve attendance teams, partner with families, conduct home visits. Monitor progress monthly. This responsive approach prevents small problems from becoming large ones.

Use data protocols in PLCs. Create structured protocols for teams to review both leading and lagging data, identify students who need support, and determine what specific support each student needs. The conversation matters more than the spreadsheet.

Transform Literacy Instruction

Growth in reading comprehension requires more than assigning more reading. It requires explicit, systematic instruction in how proficient readers think.

Model cognitive strategies explicitly. Teachers must name, model, and practice comprehension strategies: making inferences, summarizing, asking and answering questions, visualizing, monitoring comprehension. This means thinking aloud to show students the mental processes of a skilled reader. "When I read this paragraph, I'm noticing that the author uses the word 'however,' which tells me a contrast is coming. Let me reread to make sure I understand what's being contrasted."

Use Gradual Release of Responsibility systematically. The "I Do, We Do, You Do" model works when implemented with fidelity. Start with extensive teacher modeling. Move to shared practice where you and students work together. Finally, release students to independent application. Don't rush the "We Do" phase. This is where skill internalization happens.

Focus on foundational skills across all grade levels. Yes, even in middle school. Students who struggle with phonemic awareness, phonics, or fluency in upper grades need targeted support in these areas alongside grade-level comprehension work. The gap doesn't close by hoping it away, no matter the grade level.

Create PLC protocols for planning. Teams need structured time to plan how they'll model specific strategies, what texts they'll use, and how they'll assess whether students are actually applying the strategies independently.

Revolutionize Math Instruction

Here's what doesn't work in math: giving students a hundred practice problems and hoping volume creates understanding. Here's what does work: transforming how students engage with mathematical thinking.

Integrate the Math Practice Standards into every lesson. These describe how mathematically proficient students think. In order for students to develop transferable skills, they need to: routinely make sense of problems, persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique others' reasoning. This is what assessments measure, and it's what shows up in growth scores.

Redefine rigor. Rigor doesn't mean more problems or harder numbers. It means problems that require conceptual understanding where students can't rely on memorized procedures. It means problems situated in real-world contexts that demand application. It means problems with multiple solution paths that promote strategic thinking.

Ask students to compare the cost-effectiveness of two cell phone plans. Have them design a scaled model of a classroom redesign. These tasks are inherently engaging because they're relevant, and they give students a reason to employ collaborative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Prioritize engagement over coverage. When students are actively involved, using manipulatives, talking with peers, and solving interesting problems, they spend more time meaningfully engaged with content. This increased time on task translates directly to better retention and growth.

Focus on why and how, not just what. When instruction emphasizes reasoning, modeling, and arguing over simply getting the right answer, students develop deeper understanding. They can solve novel problems because they understand the underlying concepts, not just the procedure.

Connect Tier 1 instruction to assessment preparation. The most effective ACT Math preparation integrates high-quality Tier 1 instruction with targeted work on content and test-taking strategies. When you overlay strong foundational teaching with deliberate practice on time management, calculator use, and strategic guessing, you equip students not just with what they need to know but how to apply it under timed conditions.

Start With Access for Students With Disabilities

If your growth scores for students with disabilities are lagging, start here before you pour resources into new interventions. The question isn't "what intervention do they need?" The question is "can they actually access the curriculum?"

Review your IEP process. Does the team thoroughly examine each student's disability-related needs and how those needs affect access and engagement in the general education classroom? Or are supplementary aids and services a generic checklist that looks the same for every student?

Inventory your assistive technology. What tools do you have that support access, engagement, and progress? Wisconsin DPI's Assistive Technology Forward offers free resources including videos, funding guidance, and decision trees. Are your teachers trained to use these tools? Are students actually using them daily?

Create co-planning time. Special educators and general educators need dedicated time to plan together. If finding shared minutes is challenging, use online collaborative planning documents. The key is alignment between what's happening in the special education setting and the general education classroom.

When students can access grade-level content through appropriate supports rather than watered-down curriculum, growth accelerates. This is foundational.

Address the Students Who Fall Through the Cracks

Students who score "Approaching" or "Developing" often don't receive the support they need. They're not far enough behind to trigger intensive interventions, but they're not quite where they need to be. These are the students whose growth scores often stagnate.

Provide targeted professional learning. Train teachers in high-impact instructional routines specifically designed for students approaching proficiency. This isn't generic differentiation training. It's targeted instruction in how to scaffold grade-level content so these students can access it while building foundational skills simultaneously.

Create intervention systems that catch students earlier. Don't wait for students to fall so far behind that they need intensive intervention. Design your Multi-Level System of Supports to provide strategic support to students who are approaching proficiency. Small-group instruction, additional practice with feedback, and targeted skill building can keep these students on track.

Monitor their progress explicitly. Because these students don't trigger formal intervention plans, their progress often goes unmonitored. Create simple systems to track how students scoring in the "Approaching" range are progressing. Are they moving toward proficiency or staying stuck? This visibility drives action.

Build the Foundation: Student Well-Being

You can implement every strategy in this article, but if students don't feel safe, if they don't feel like they belong, if their basic needs aren't met, growth will remain elusive.

Develop comprehensive mental health systems. Align these with your Multi-Level System of Supports to address developmental, social, emotional, behavioral, and mental well-being needs. Research shows this increases academic achievement, increases student engagement and connectedness, decreases restrictive placements, and improves school climate.

Focus on positive conditions for learning. Every student needs to feel physically safe, emotionally supported, and intellectually validated. Adult and student well-being matter. Belonging, connection, and support aren't soft skills separate from academics. They're the foundation that makes academic growth possible.

Reduce exclusionary practices. Implement trauma-informed practices that keep students in the classroom learning rather than sitting in the office. Use restorative practices that build relationships and teach skills rather than simply removing students from the learning environment.

Build Systems for Continuous Improvement

Individual teacher excellence matters, but systems create sustainable improvement. Here's how to build them.

Implement coaching cycles tied to growth data. Identify teachers whose students show strong growth. What are they doing differently? Create coaching cycles where these teachers work with colleagues, modeling effective practices and providing feedback. This peer-to-peer learning is more powerful than one-off professional development sessions.

Create protocols for sharing effective strategies. During PLC time, have teachers share what's working. Not just "I tried this strategy" but "Here's the strategy, here's how I implemented it, here's the student data showing impact, and here's how you could adapt it." Make success visible and replicable.

Use your evaluation system strategically. A high-quality evaluation system provides specific, actionable feedback tied to research-based teaching standards. This ensures professional development resources target the precise skills teachers need to enhance student learning. When evaluations are fair, rigorous, and growth-oriented, they build a culture where continuous improvement is expected.

Identify and leverage instructional leaders. Use evaluation data to identify highly effective teachers and the specific strategies they employ. Formally recognize these instructional leaders and create structures for them to mentor colleagues. This accelerates the diffusion of proven practices throughout your building or district.

Start Monday Morning

Reading this list can feel overwhelming. You can't implement everything at once. Here's where to start.

First, look at your disaggregated growth data. Which student groups show the most significant gaps? That tells you where to focus first.

Second, assess your core instruction. Is your Tier 1 literacy and math instruction incorporating the strategies described here? If not, this is your highest-leverage starting point. Improving core instruction benefits every student.

Third, create the systems for improvement. Identify your strongest teachers and create structures for them to share their practices. Implement data protocols in PLCs. Start coaching cycles. These systems make improvement sustainable rather than dependent on individual heroics.

Fourth, monitor and adjust. Improvement isn't linear. Implement changes, monitor leading indicators, and adjust based on what you're seeing. This responsive approach allows you to refine strategies rather than abandoning them prematurely or continuing with approaches that aren't working.

Ready to accelerate growth in your district? CESA 6 is here to help. Our team provides customized professional development, coaching, consultation, and resources focused on the strategies that drive measurable improvement in student growth. From literacy and math instruction to comprehensive mental health systems, we support the full range of factors that accelerate student learning. Do you want to start a conversation with the experts that wrote this blog? Start the conversation today, don't wait. 

Let's Empower Students Together.