The Webster Central School District announced a new districtwide literacy goal and detailed how principals and teachers will reorganize part of the elementary school day to reach it. Kate Hesla, principal at Schlegel Road Elementary School, said the district plans a 45-minute daily block called "What I Need" or WIN time to give students targeted instruction based on shared assessment data.
Nut graf: District leaders said the move follows measurable gains after they adopted a new Tier 1 literacy curriculum last year; elementary proficiency rose from 48% at the start of the year to 64% by the end of the year. The district has set a new target that 90% of elementary students will meet or exceed grade-level expectations and will use PLCs, additional assessments, and tiered supports to pursue that goal.
District and school speakers described WIN time as a non-instructional portion of the day for grade-level standards; instead, students will be regrouped across homerooms in 45-minute sessions to receive targeted practice or intervention. Hesla said teams will review and adjust groups throughout the year and noted the district convened a cross-building committee over the summer to work through logistics and teacher support.
Officials framed the approach inside a multi-tiered system of support: Tier 1 is the new core curriculum for all students, Tier 2 is targeted small-group intervention delivered during WIN time, and Tier 3 is individualized instruction. Hesla said the district will add “a few more” assessments to better identify gaps and monitor progress.
The board voted to accept the instructional reports as presented during the meeting, a procedural step that preceded questions about the logistics of the WIN schedule and monitoring plans. Board members asked for continued updates as implementation proceeds.
Ending: District leaders said work to refine Tier 1, build the WIN schedules, and monitor small-group progress will continue through the school year, with administrators and teacher teams meeting periodically to adjust instruction and supports.