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Robla district leaders flag reading shortfalls, push phonics and targeted interventions
Summary
Principals and district staff said many students are not reading at grade level and described coordinated steps — expanded phonics instruction, targeted interventions, family nights and technology supports — aimed at improving third-grade reading and overall literacy.
District principals and staff told the Robla School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 23 that many students are not meeting grade-level reading standards and outlined immediate steps to boost literacy.
Principals from multiple elementary sites described a roster of actions intended to improve early reading skills and comprehension, including expanding phonics instruction in K–2, adding intervention teacher time, using research-based programs such as Lexia and MobyMax, and increasing family engagement nights to train caregivers on using district learning platforms.
The concern surfaced repeatedly in site plans presented to the board. Taylor Street Elementary Principal Michelle Chris described schoolwide shifts: more structured phonics time in kindergarten through second grade, peer observations focused on math and reading instruction, expanded parent workshops, restorative practices to support school climate and attendance work led by a SART team. “We have PLST support, PD for ELA,” Chris said, adding that staff meetings now routinely focus on data-driven instruction and interventions.
A principal at another elementary described a district-level decision to redirect resources toward K–2 literacy, saying, “we have just made a bold decision … in our district 80% of our 3rd graders can't read,” and framed the move as increasing intervention capacity and classroom small-group instruction so older grades can focus on differentiation and fluency practice.
Robla’s principals said the district is pairing classroom work with family-facing supports: demonstrations of the Clever learning platform, parent workshops on test familiarity and social-media safety, library partnerships, and family engagement events. Several site leaders reported progress on attendance as a supporting lever for improved achievement — attendance rose across schools year to date, they said — and emphasized early identification of students who need special education evaluation or additional interventions.
Staff described use of targeted programs and teacher supports: GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) professional development, walk-through coaching, goal-setting menus in the educator evaluation platform, and explicit instruction on state tests and practice items. District leaders said they will expand use of diagnostic tools, monitor Lexia and MobyMax usage, increase kinesthetic and visual supports in lessons, and continue professional learning communities focused narrowly on math and ELA instruction.
Board members pressed for clarity on the data. Superintendent Cheryl Chen and school leaders distinguished between students who “can read” and those who read with the fluency and comprehension required for grade-level standards. Chen noted that some cohorts began school during pandemic closures and that the district will provide a clearer breakdown of reading-level data on request.
Principals and the superintendent asked the board for continued support for community partnerships, preschool enrollment expansion when construction permits and for investments targeted at early literacy, saying those steps are central to reversing multi-year performance declines.
Ending
Principals left the board with a list of near-term actions: scale K–2 phonics and intervention capacity, increase family-facing literacy supports, use diagnostic platforms systematically, and return to the board with clearer disaggregated reading-level data and progress updates.
