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Frat and Knapp principals report literacy and writing gains; Knapp close to exiting CSI list pending Forward results
Summary
Leaders from Frat and Knapp elementary schools told the board May 19 that a district rollout of the Think SRSD writing framework and the UFLI literacy intervention produced measurable student growth, and Knapp reported meeting two of three state CSI criteria and expects Forward Exam results to confirm exit.
Administrators from Frat and Knapp elementary schools reported to the Racine Unified School District board on May 19 that writing and literacy initiatives implemented this year produced measurable gains and that one school is poised to exit Wisconsin’s Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) list pending final Forward Exam results.
At Frat, presenters said the school’s attendance goal for the year was 95 percent but the campus ended at 90 percent. Frat staff described a goal to increase ELA performance for students with disabilities by 20 percent on the Forward Exam and said 21 percent of students performed at or above proficient on ELA this year compared with a 24 percent target. Frat administrators described implementing Think SRSD, a structured writing framework, during the year and said special-education teachers were trained this year to use UFLI (referred to in the meeting as a University of Florida program) during SDI time. A staff example given in the presentation noted a student’s reading level moving from 0.6 to 1.6 on the school’s progress measure after targeted intervention.
Frat presenters said the school will continue monthly PLCs (professional learning communities) with an emphasis on writing and monthly data meetings that include special-education teachers. Board members praised the work; one board member who teaches at the high-school level said the elementary efforts should better prepare students for secondary writing expectations.
At Knapp Elementary, Principal Rich Bytonic and Assistant Principal Melissa Dimashki reported a rise in early-literacy proficiency to 51 percent this year (the school’s goal had been 55 percent) and set a 65 percent proficiency goal for the upcoming year under a revised measurement approach. Knapp reported a small number of students contributing a disproportionate share of office referrals (six students currently accounting for roughly 26 percent of referrals) and described supports including a full-time social worker, a school-based mental health clinician (reported as full), a part-time counselor, and coordinated student-collaborative meetings that use the district’s ICS equity framework and trauma-informed practices.
Bytonic told the board Knapp has met two of the three state CSI criteria related to academic growth and PLC functioning; the school must meet the same indicators on the most recent Forward Exam to complete the exit. The administration said Forward Exam results were expected within a week or two of the May 19 meeting.
Both schools said staff stability, collaborative PLC work and targeted literacy interventions were driving improvements. Knapp noted a long-term mobility challenge: a prior study showed roughly 40 percent turnover of the student population every two years in the school’s neighborhood, a factor staff said complicates continuous growth.
Board members asked clarifying questions about UFLI, the role of special-education teachers in PLCs, and how intensive supports are being targeted to a small set of students who generate most office referrals; school representatives described data-driven interventions and increased coordination of services as the district’s approach.
