SLPS highlights literacy push and student successes including a perfect ACT score and major scholarships

Dr. Millicent Burishadeh, superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools, said the district continued its reading and writing initiative to emphasize literacy from foundational skills in early grades to writing at the secondary level.

“From foundational reading skills in early grades to writing comprehension at the secondary level, our goal is simple, to empower every student with the confidence and skills to succeed,” Burishadeh said.

She highlighted student achievements as examples of the initiative’s impact: Pierce, a graduate of Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, earned a perfect ACT score of 36 and received a scholarship from the University of Missouri covering full tuition and fees. Burishadeh also noted students Caitlin (a Clyde C. Miller dual-enrollment student), Kayla (a Roosevelt senior and award-winning artist), Kiara (a Vashon student described as scholar-athlete and recipient of more than $1,000,000 in scholarship awards) and Zara (an elementary student who wrote a book at age 8) as examples of student success.

Burishadeh said the district continued STAR assessments to give educators real-time insight into student progress and launched its first fully online student registration system to increase access and planning. In-person help was also provided throughout the city for families needing support with the new system.

The superintendent framed these initiatives as part of a long-term effort to strengthen literacy and college- and career-readiness but did not provide enrollment-level outcomes tied to the literacy work in the address.