District presents K–2 reading gains and intervention needs; administrators urge more high-dose tutoring and smaller class sizes

District assessment staff presented K–2 interim results and discussed interventions, English‑learner supports and staffing limits during the Anchorage School Board meeting on March 18. The presentation showed improvement in several early-grade cohorts but highlighted continuing gaps for economically disadvantaged students and English-language learners.

Why it matters: Early literacy is a focal point of statewide accountability and local improvement efforts. The district told board members it has begun implementing a combination of curriculum and intervention changes — among them year-two rollout of CKLA, targeted ELD (English language development) curriculum for newcomers and pilot interventions aimed at improving oral language and reading fluency — but staff and board members emphasized that those efforts are labor intensive and often limited by staffing and budgeting constraints.

What the board heard: Diane Carroll, director of assessment and evaluation, explained why the district groups kindergarten and first grade (Interim Goal 1.1) but separates second grade (Interim Goal 1.2) for reporting: kindergarten and first grade share an emphasis on foundational early-reading skills that differ from later grade-level measures. Carroll said kindergarten cohorts made “huge gains between fall and winter,” noting benchmark percentages that tracked similarly to national trends.

Administrators described interventions currently in place: “when-what-I-need” (a daily 30-minute block built into schedules at most elementary schools), trained teacher use of approved curricula, and explicit ELL-targeted interventions such as a pilot of “frames to fluency” to boost speaking skills. Bobby Lafferty (ELL director) and Nicole Somerville (director of elementary teaching and learning) described inclusion supports and push‑in models for ELL staff so students receive scaffolding within core instruction.

Key details and capacity: The district currently funds 10 reading interventionists (four full time at individual schools and six shared between nearby schools). Those interventionists cover roughly 12–16 schools in total, with shared staff covering two schools. Administrators said high-dose tutoring research supports 30-minute sessions, four to five days per week, delivered in small groups (ideally one to three students; at most four to five). District staff said typical reading-intervention schedules allow about six half‑hour groups per day when balancing classroom schedules, lunches and recess.

Board questions and context: Member Lessons and others noted statistically measurable year-over-year improvement among certain cohorts but pressed staff on equity gaps. Administrators said accelerating learning for economically disadvantaged students likely requires smaller class sizes and additional staffing (for example, more reading interventionists or tutors) and cautioned that “we can’t intervene our way out of poor Tier 1 instruction” if core classroom structures — single-grade classrooms and sufficient instructional minutes — are not addressed.

Quotes drawn from the record (selected): - “We really wanna target the students at their level and what they need,” — Diane Carroll, Director of Assessment and Evaluation. - “High-dose tutoring typically you want 30 minutes, 4 to 5 times a week,” — district teaching-and-learning staff. - “Currently, we have 10 reading interventionists. 4 of them are full time at schools, and the other 6 of them are shared between nearby schools,” — district staff.

Ending: Administrators recommended continued focus on Tier 1 instruction quality, expansion of small-group high-dose tutoring where feasible, and further piloting of reading‑fluency routines for second grade. Board members asked the administration to bring more information about comparative state and national performance and to return with staffing options tied to rightsizing and the district budget cycle.