Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Instruction And Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teaching-and-learning update: district emphasizes literacy, science-of-reading training and resource audit
Summary
The board heard a teaching-and-learning update detailing a districtwide resource audit, progress toward House Bill 538 compliance, universal screeners, science-of-reading training for elementary teachers and expansion of a REAP pilot to six additional schools in 2025–26.
Miss Tracy Blackburn told the board the district focused this year on strengthening the instructional core, aligning resources and implementing consistent literacy practices tied to state expectations. "We conducted a comprehensive resource audit to identify instructional materials aligned to our standards and house bill 5 38 compliance requirements," Blackburn said.
Blackburn said universal screeners have been identified and are in use, prescribed instructional minutes for literacy were standardized into school master schedules, and elementary teachers have received science-of-reading training. She noted the district is evaluating handwriting instruction and that the REAP pilot (a research-aligned professional development program) will expand from two schools to six additional schools for the 2025–26 year.
During board Q&A a member asked how the district will ensure teachers who have not yet completed science-of-reading training will finish. Blackburn said the district will incorporate the required training into new-teacher orientation and develop benchmarked completion plans for current staff who remain unfinished. She also explained that curriculum and resource reviews were conducted by content specialists with input from instructional coaches, teachers and principals on a committee basis.
Blackburn said some initiatives are still in pilot stages and that next year's focus will add monitoring systems, professional development and accountability to sustain instructional consistency. The presentation's next steps include finalizing resource selections and presenting recommended literacy resources and assessment tools for board consideration.
