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ISD 622 elementary leaders outline literacy, math and attendance priorities; parent urges limits on MCA score use
Summary
Elementary principals and district leaders presented the district's kindergarten-through-5 strategic priorities, highlighting literacy curriculum (CKLA), math instruction, attendance initiatives and social-emotional learning. A parent urged the board to limit individual-level use and distribution of Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs).
Miriam Janacek, a parent in Independent School District 622, urged the school board on March 18 to limit distribution and individual-level use of Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) scores, saying the statewide tests are designed to evaluate district-level curriculum alignment rather than individual students or teachers. "The data is not about individual student learning. It is not about individual teacher efficacy," Janacek said during public comment.
District elementary leaders then presented the district's K-5 strategic plan priorities, focusing on academic achievement, postsecondary readiness, attendance, social-emotional learning and equity. Assistant Superintendent Tricia (presenting on behalf of the instructional team) introduced principals and staff who described classroom resources and assessment practices aimed at aligning instruction to Minnesota standards.
The presentation emphasized the district's adopted literacy curriculum (CKLA), professional development under the Minnesota Read Act using "Core OLA" training cohorts, and multiple classroom- and school-level assessments used for day-to-day instruction. "Our goal here tonight is to provide you with all the highlights of the elementary school, focus on our strategic plans for the 24-25 school year," a presenter said.
District staff described instructional routines that guide interventions and progress monitoring. Teachers use CKLA end-of-unit assessments, daily formative checks and universal screeners such as FastBridge (administered three times yearly) to inform instruction. Win Time, a 30-minute daily block for targeted instruction, was described as a universal support window for remediation, multilingual learner support, special education and advanced instruction.
Principals highlighted math curriculum Math Expressions (MX18) and district coaching on math discourse to support multilingual learners. "This focus on math discourse has provided students with opportunities to have discourse in the area of mathematics," said Kenny Newby, principal at Justice Allen Page Elementary.
On multilingual learners (ML), the district acknowledged rapid increases in enrollment. Staff said one building example showed a jump of dozens of newly enrolled ML students mid-year; districtwide, the ML share rose from about 15% three years ago to about 20% this year. The district said it will produce a comprehensive report with grade-level breakdowns and noted that ML students continue to take ACCESS (WIDA) testing as part of program monitoring.
Presenters described social-emotional learning (SEL) and safety strategies such as morning meetings, community-building circles, behavior intervention specialists, social workers and proactive school climate follow-up. The district changed its school climate survey from anonymous to identified follow-up this year to allow targeted interventions for students flagged as high risk.
District partnerships and programs identified included Playworks (recess leadership and structured play), a district "breathing coach" (Natalia Gaston) who models classroom breathing techniques, and junior-coach leadership on playgrounds. The district said these programs support belonging, problem solving and leadership development for upper-elementary students.
Board members and parents questioned implementation timelines and early indicators of success. Staff said they are already seeing classroom-level improvements — for example, increased kindergarten benchmark rates — and noted that the full effect of curriculum and Read Act training typically materializes over multiple years. On measurement, staff reiterated that MCAs are a cohort-level indicator and not designed for in-year classroom-level instructional decisions; teachers rely on formative and unit assessments for immediate adjustments. "It is not something that [teachers] can make an instructional decision upon based off of what their experience seeing with that student in that year's MCA," a presenter said.
Board members thanked staff and parents for the presentation and asked for follow-up materials promised by staff, including a detailed report on multilingual learner enrollment and a future opportunity for board members to visit classrooms.
The meeting proceeded to routine business after the presentation.
