The CNMI Public School System (PSS) is building a stronger culture of data use at the classroom, school, and systemwide levels, particularly regarding K–3 student literacy instruction and learning outcomes. REL Pacific is supporting CNMI PSS as it identifies strategies and creates and delivers professional development to strengthen data-driven decision-making processes across schools regarding student reading interventions within PSS’s multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). The CNMI Data Wayfinding Partnership is named for the traditional system of navigation through which wayfinders use observational data of the seas and skies to guide their travels across the open ocean.
This partnership will develop resources to help CNMI educators and leaders gain a deeper awareness of the evidence-base for Tier 2 interventions and will study patterns of how PSS’ students are being flagged for those interventions. Lastly, the partnership will design and deliver professional learning for teachers to enhance their data literacy and understanding of effective Tier 2 reading interventions and deepen their understanding and use of formative assessment.
Partner Organization(s): CNMI Public School System
Current Projects
This applied research study focuses on CNMI PSS’s implementation of the Early Warning System (EWS) process for student reading outcomes, an area that is complementary to the ongoing efforts focused on improving literacy outcomes in kindergarten through grade 3. REL Pacific will support PSS by conducting a descriptive study of extant CNMI-developed EWS implementation surveys and PSS student reading outcomes, as well as interviews with EWS leaders, to understand current identification, monitoring, and use of Tier 2 reading interventions. The findings can inform professional learning, training, and coaching of school teams using the EWS process. The study is expected to be published in fall 2025.
Building on the content learned during the first project, central office staff and school leaders will plan for integrating the use of formative assessment processes systemwide to support early reading and the expansion of PSS’s data literacy culture.
This project integrates the implementation plan from the Planning for Formative Assessment project to further support PSS central office staff and school leaders as they pilot the use of formative assessment processes in classrooms, with the goal of expanding PSS’s data literacy culture.
Completed Projects
In this project, CNMI PSS stakeholders identified ways to improve their data-driven decision making when assigning students to Tier 2 reading interventions and to identify areas of improvement for Tier 1 instruction. This supported the project and partnership’s long-term goals of reducing the number of students identified for Tier 2 interventions and supporting increased grade 3 literacy achievement.
In this applied research study, REL Pacific developed an evidence and gap map (visual tools that provide an overview of existing evidence on a topic) of existing Tier 2 literacy interventions. This map shows: (1) which prominent interventions exist to serve Tier 2 students; (2) which of those interventions have the strongest evidence and which interventions remain unstudied or understudied; and (3) which outcomes are associated with particular interventions.
No projects at this time.