District presents World's Best Workforce (ESSA) report; most district goals not met for 2023–24

Becca Starr, the district data scientist and title coordinator, presented the St. Louis Park Schools' World's Best Workforce report required by Minnesota statute, covering the 2023–24 school year and the district's four SMART goals: kindergarten readiness, closing achievement gaps, college-and-career readiness, and four-year graduation rates.

"Saint Louis Park Schools sees, inspires, and empowers each learner to live their brilliance in an environment that centers student voice and experience to create racially equitable learning," Starr said, introducing the report and the district's mission. Starr told the board that the district did not meet any of its four district-level SMART goals for 2023–24.

Key findings presented: - Goal 1 (kindergarten readiness, measured by FastBridge early reading): the district goal was a 2 percentage-point increase in the share of kindergarten students in the "low risk" category from fall 2023 to spring 2024. The district did not meet the goal; most elementary sites showed declines in the low-risk group from fall to winter, though one site (Akula) showed a 2-point increase. - Goal 2 (close reading and math gaps between Black and White students as measured on the MCA/MTAS): the district aimed to reduce gaps by 2 percentage points but saw the gaps increase by about 1 percentage point in both reading and math. - Goal 3 (college and career readiness measured by ACT composite for 11th graders): the goal was a 2% increase (0.41 points); the district's composite rose by 0.1 points and the goal was not met. Staff noted participation and opt-outs at the high school can affect results. - Goal 4 (four-year graduation rate): the district did not meet its 1% increase goal; the four-year rate rose 0.4 percentage points compared with state data and remains above the state average by about 4 points.

Starr walked the board through assessment details, including how the FastBridge early reading composite is constructed from subtests and how the Read Act now requires four subtests (letter names, letter sounds, word segmentation and nonsense words) to be tested consistently across fall, winter and spring. Board members pressed staff about whether the assessment differences or opt-outs explained the reported declines; Starr and other staff said assessment composition, test benchmarks that rise through the year, participation rates and classroom instruction implementation all affect the reported year-to-year changes.

Board members raised questions about setting SMART goal targets (the district sets the percent-change targets), growth metrics that may be impacted by ceiling effects for high-performing students, and the extent to which new curriculum and professional development (including LETRS training) will take multiple years to reach full impact. Starr said the district will emphasize Tier 1 classroom instruction, strengthen implementation of core literacy curriculum, increase participation in career and college programs, and use focal-student analysis to inform interventions.

No board action was taken; staff said the World's Best Workforce reporting requirement was satisfied by the presentation and that the district will continue monitoring fall–spring data and present the new Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness report that replaces the World's Best Workforce framework going forward.