Las Cruces Public Schools updates board on districtwide professional learning in literacy, math and CTE

Las Cruces Public Schools board members heard an update May 6 on districtwide professional learning tied to Strategic Plan goals 1 (literacy) and 2 (mathematics). District staff described expanded training this year in structured literacy, disciplinary reading strategies and research-based math interventions and said some funding comes from the State Equalization Guarantee (SEG) early literacy grant.

The report, presented by Doctor Miller Tomlinson, described three major literacy initiatives: LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) for K–5 teachers, Reading Apprenticeship for disciplinary teachers, and AIM Pathways for secondary structured literacy. Tomlinson said the district also shifted from STAR assessments to I‑Ready for diagnostic uses and trained teachers to use I‑Ready growth metrics to set instructional goals.

Tomlinson told the board that “the focus was the LCPS transition to an equity driven standards based learning framework,” and outlined a multi‑year rollout of professional learning: an introductory July session, follow up in August, content‑specific sessions during the year, and principal‑facilitated recap sessions in April.

District figures presented to the board included: - LETRS: 354 teachers completed the training and about 340 were in progress (a two‑year cohort model; remaining teachers will be scheduled next year). - Reading Apprenticeship: 60 teachers completed, about 138 in progress or slated to begin in fall. - AIM Pathways (secondary structured literacy): 44 teachers completed; middle school (sixth grade) rollout planned next year.

On mathematics, staff described “Ready, Set, Math” (Math Recovery) trainings and work on proficiency scales and layer‑1 instruction to improve number sense and computation. The board heard that eight schools will take part in a Math for All pilot coordinated with New Mexico State University; that pilot focuses on teacher planning based on individual student data rather than a single commercial program.

Tomlinson also previewed workforce and career‑education items tied to instruction, including an LCPS CTE collective and Mercado at Rio Grande Prep that will organize student‑produced goods and services (for example, floral arrangements by Las Cruces High’s Bulldog Blooms) and expand offerings when physical space is ready.

Superintendent Ruiz framed the work during opening remarks, noting the timing during Teacher Appreciation Week: “teaching is the 1 profession that creates all other professions,” he said, as the district highlighted professional learning investments.

Next steps cited by staff were continuing LETRS and AIM cohorts, scaling Reading Apprenticeship across content areas, monitoring the Math for All pilot, and planning additional professional learning for the 2025–26 school year. The district noted that some of these required trainings carry SEG or literacy grant funding but called the work “a heavy lift” given the cohort model and time expectations for teachers.

Board members asked about research bases for instructional strategies, community messaging to explain the changes to families, and how to measure outcomes. Staff pointed to WestEd and QTEL work (teacher supports for multilingual learners) and told the board they will return with growth and assessment results tied to I‑Ready metrics.

The board did not take an action on policy or budget in the presentation; staff said training and pilot participation will be monitored and reported in future updates.