Mesquite ISD reports gains in pre-K enrollment, details audit findings and wins Texas Reads Texas Leads grant

Mesquite Independent School District staff told trustees on July 14 that pre-kindergarten enrollment and kindergarten-readiness measures have improved and outlined audit findings and next steps to strengthen early literacy and numeracy.

Tara Nichols, elementary director of teaching and learning, told the board that district data show kindergarten students who attended public pre-K performed about 20% higher on readiness measures than the district’s overall kindergarten cohort. Nichols said the district’s pre-K enrollment “has shown fantastic growth” and staff will continue outreach to enroll eligible children.

Carolina Portillo, director of bilingual ESL, and Andrea Bailey, coordinator of elementary reading-language arts, summarized a pre-K audit conducted by the Children’s Literacy Initiative. The auditors praised Mesquite ISD’s alignment of curriculum to state standards, hands-on thematic materials and a bilingual 50/50 model that supports dual-language development. Auditors recommended increased pre-K–specific professional development for teachers and administrators, more coaching and feedback, and greater use of discovery-based centers and differentiated small-group instruction. Portillo said administrators received training on purposeful play at the end of the 2024–25 school year and that the district is beginning to act on the recommendations.

Nichols and Portillo described work on early literacy in kindergarten through second grade, saying kindergarten vocabulary growth is a strength while first-grade gains were minimal and comprehension remains an area of need. The district said it revised literacy blocks, streamlined resources, began assessment restructuring to use shared tools for monolingual and bilingual students and plans to emphasize personalized practice through ongoing coaching.

Staff also said Mesquite ISD is a grant recipient of the Texas Reads Texas Leads statewide initiative. The district was among 16 finalists invited to the cohort-based program run with the CA Group and a philanthropic foundation (referenced in the transcript as the “Charles **** Foundation”). The grant work, staff said, will support development and implementation of science-based K–3 reading plans, alignment of instructional materials and district investments toward early-reading proficiency goals.

Board members thanked staff for the report and for the grant work. Trustees emphasized the importance of early learning to long-term student outcomes; staff said they will continue training leaders and teachers and report back on implementation progress.

No budget figures tied to the grant were presented in the meeting record.