Jefferson Elementary staff report reading gains after LETRS training; PLC changes aim for weekly, targeted instruction

Jefferson Elementary staff updated the Faribault Public Schools Board on May 19 about professional learning tied to LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training and changes to teacher Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Presenters credited the training with sharpening phonics instruction and producing measurable short‑term gains for some groups of students.

Amanda Seager, the school’s instructional coach and a district LETRS facilitator, told the board the LETRS training is a two‑year sequence. Unit 1 introduced teachers to models of the reading brain; unit 2 addressed phonological awareness; unit 3 focused on early phonics and practice; and unit 4 covered advanced phonics, syllable types and morphology. Seager said teachers used decodable texts and orthographic mapping practices to strengthen connections between sounds and letters.

Teachers described a new 30‑minute daily “Win Time” intervention block and targeted instruction after winter testing. Jefferson staff used a decoding inventory to identify gaps in fourth‑ and fifth‑grade students; the team targeted long‑vowel (silent‑e) patterns and vowel teams. Presentation slides showed a sample cohort that improved from about 46% accuracy on silent‑e words to roughly 92–95% after about 20–35 days of focused instruction; vowel‑team proficiency showed similar gains.

Second‑grade teacher Joe Pinka described a shift from monthly PLCs to weekly PLCs. He said weekly meetings have helped teachers examine test questions, align vocabulary and adjust instruction within shorter cycles. Guest presenter Gabe Hackett of First Educational Resources, who led district PLC workshops, told the board the elementary teachers were “anxious and hungry to learn” and praised the teacher‑led approach to focusing PLC agendas on the four driving PLC questions.

Board members praised the teacher‑led work. Director Cassie Steeves, who volunteers as a Rotary reader, said she anecdotally noticed improvements in behavior and engagement. Director Moore and others commended the emphasis on phonics and the structured PLC agenda that supports real‑time instructional changes. Directors asked for continued monitoring and shared measures to show whether gains in phonics transfer to higher comprehension scores on district and state assessments.

Why it matters: Jefferson’s work reflects the district’s broader adoption of science‑of‑reading practices. Early results show that targeted phonics instruction can produce relatively rapid gains on discrete decoding measures when teachers use frequent, aligned practice.

Next steps: Staff said they plan to continue LETRS implementation, expand grade‑level alignment across buildings and refine PLC agendas to keep weekly cycles focused on immediate assessment results and instructional adjustments.