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Forest Grove SD spotlights Fern Hill literacy gains; outlines districtwide reading strategy
Summary
Forest Grove School District directors heard a presentation showing Fern Hill Elementary posted the district's largest increase in literacy outcomes and detailing the district's layered approach to reading instruction, including LETRS training, the Amplify curriculum, mCLASS screening and targeted interventions.
Forest Grove School District's board of directors on Oct. 14 recognized Fern Hill Elementary for what the district described as the largest increase in literacy outcomes across its schools and reviewed districtwide steps to improve reading achievement.
Board members heard district leaders describe a multi-part strategy that pairs the Amplify elementary curriculum with the mCLASS universal screener, professional learning in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) strategies for multilingual learners, and short-cycle interventions monitored roughly every six weeks.
Superintendent Dr. West said fidelity to research-based curricula matters. "There are two F words'one is fidelity," Dr. West said. "Ensuring that our teachers first attend to the science'that we're using the curriculum created by curriculum developers'is foundational to any kind of instructional improvement." The superintendent attributed much of the district's recent progress to consistent application of curriculum and coaching supports.
Assistant Superintendent Loma Lee said the district has invested in LETRS training for staff. "Over the last two years, 60 to 70 people have been trained in LETRS," Lee said. "This is a two-year commitment and a significant investment in time and resources." Lee described two local staff members who have completed LETRS trainer certification and said the work aligns with the Amplify curriculum used in elementary classrooms.
District speakers explained how mCLASS functions in practice: it is used as a benchmark and universal screener that breaks reading into discrete skills so teachers can identify needs such as phonemic awareness or fluency. Those students identified with similar skill gaps are grouped for targeted intervention on top of whole-class instruction, with progress checks about every six weeks. If students are not making expected progress, interventions may intensify or continue until benchmarks are met.
District staff and board members emphasized family engagement strategies tied to literacy gains. The district encouraged daily shared reading, asking children questions about texts, and practicing phonics and syllables in conversation. Fern Hill and Cornelius elementary schools were cited as holding family literacy nights that provide take-home strategies for families who cannot attend.
Board members thanked Fern Hill staff and the district instructional coaches for their work. The presentation concluded with district leaders saying they will continue to expand coaching, monitor intervention data, and share examples of classroom practice with the community.
The presentation did not include a numeric percentage for Fern Hill's increase; the district described the improvement only as the "largest increase" among its schools for the 2024-25 year.
