Delano literacy coordinator says district completed first-year Read Act rollout, trained teachers in LETRS

Diane, Delano Public Schools literacy coordinator, told the school board on April 28 that this year the district completed its first-year implementation of the Minnesota Read Act for kindergarten through third grade and focused most literacy work at the elementary level.

"This was our first year really implementing the Read Act," Diane said, summarizing her role. She said the district adopted the state screening protocols, added a dyslexia screener, and used a "gated approach" from the Minnesota Department of Education. She described creating a literacy website for teachers and parents, providing modeling and coaching in early grades, and running mini-workshops on topics such as small-group instruction and decoding multisyllabic words.

District context: why it matters

The Read Act requires districts to screen early readers and provide targeted interventions; Diane told the board Delano focused its training and MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) work where the law’s first phase applies — K–3. The work affects classroom instruction, intervention staffing and the information the district shares with families.

Most important details

Diane said she and a colleague are developing a more in-depth local literacy plan to meet new state reporting requirements. She reported training roughly 50 teachers in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) and said the district will finish the first half of that LETRS cohort in May. "We made the decision to go with LETRS ... even though it was the most extensive training," a board member said in the meeting, noting the district has an in-house trainer in Diane.

Diane described data-driven adjustments to instruction: after fall screening, first-grade phonics instruction was reorganized so classrooms could strengthen Tier 1 instruction and target Tier 2 supports. She said progress-monitoring data show "very strong" growth so far into the spring.

The coordinator also described work building MTSS procedures: holding meetings after screening windows to help teachers set up progress-monitoring groups, providing fidelity checks at the elementary building, leading district MTSS meetings, and developing a preschool MTSS handbook while statewide guidance is still pending. Diane said the district is implementing the EduCLIMBER data warehouse and that she compiles FAST (Formative Assessment System for Teachers) data summaries for teachers and buildings after each screening window.

Operational and scheduling notes

Diane said the district plans to push back next year’s fall screening window to avoid assessing kindergarteners during their first full week of school; instead, the district will provide an "intervention boot camp" in September so interventionists can get to know young students and provide early support. She also said some intervention staffing and scheduling decisions are being informed by spring data to identify students who may need a boost before fall screening.

Quotes and attributions

"I also have been training about 50 teachers in LETRS," Diane said. "We will be wrapping up the first half of that program in May." She added that the LETRS training gave her coaching experience: "which is nice for me to learn how to work with adults, rather than just kids."

Ending / next steps

Board members thanked Diane for the work and noted the district’s internal LETRS trainer is a local advantage compared with neighboring districts that must contract outside trainers. Diane said she will continue coordinating LETRS year two, support the MTSS rollout, and work on the local literacy plan required by the state.