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Forest Lake board hears update on shift to 6–8 middle school and state-mandated LETRS training
Summary
District staff told the board the middle-school structure will add sixth grade next year, about 435–436 sixth graders are registered, and the district is expanding LETRS reading training for K–3 teachers to meet a state requirement.
At its March 20 meeting, Forest Lake Public School District curriculum leaders reported progress on the transition to a 6–8 middle school and on statewide requirements to train K–3 teachers in the science of reading.
Assistant Principal Sam Van Heffy updated the Curriculum and Instruction and Equity Committee on preparations to bring sixth grade into the middle school for the 2025–26 school year, saying staff have been planning since the board voted to pursue the change last October.
Director Jacobson told the board the district has completed course registration for returning students and has been meeting with families about the new middle school model. "We have registered all seventh and eighth graders for next year," Jacobson said, and added the sixth-grade registration number is changing as families continue to enroll.
Committee members noted enrollment growth for the incoming sixth grade. Board remarks during the meeting referenced a registration total of 435 sixth graders as of the morning of the meeting and indicated the number had risen toward 436 by the time of discussion.
The committee also reviewed the district's work to expand LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training. Jacobson described multi-year professional development the district has offered and said this year the state requires all K–3 classroom teachers, English learner teachers who serve K–3 students, and special educators working with K–3 students to receive the training.
According to remarks at the meeting, district literacy lead Katie Lorenz reported that more than 70 educators are currently participating in the district's LETRS/Science of Reading training sequence. The district plans to continue the program into a second year and to onboard additional staff in the coming months because the training curriculum selected spans two years.
Board members and staff said they have staged orientation and planning to help teachers, families and administrators manage the transition of two grade levels to middle school in a single year, and that further details on scheduling and orientation days would be brought forward before final calendar adoption.
The committee discussion did not include a formal board action on these items; staff said further recommendations on calendars and transition logistics will be presented at future meetings.
