District reports midyear gains in literacy work; third-grade cohort tracking ahead of last year

Assistant Superintendent Alex Swinney provided a midyear briefing on the district's two-year rollout of the East Haven literacy model in partnership with Hill for Literacy, reporting tangible implementation steps and initial positive indicators for student learning.

Swimney said the district's priorities this year include small-group instruction rooted in foundational decoding routines, vocabulary and comprehension, and targeted supports for PreK-5 (including pre-K 4/5 transition work). The district has expanded family-engagement programs at the K-2 level and added three schools to the Connecticut Literacy Model (Mehmaguin, Tuttle and Deer Run). Swinney noted that Tuttle staff are now helping develop curriculum used statewide.

On professional learning, the district has expanded science-of-reading training: an initial cohort was trained last year, and 25 additional staff completed training this year; 12 more staff (special education and interventionists, K-8) are participating with state-supported Hill for Literacy programming.

Swynney described an assessment-to-instruction cycle that uses DIBELS, I-Ready and curriculum-based assessments to determine instructional focus and form small groups. Teachers and reading coaches hold districtwide data meetings five times a year (beginning-, mid- and end-of-year plus interim monitoring) to assign instructional focus and monitor response to interventions. Swinney said these meetings support cross-school sharing of strategies when a classroom shows accelerated growth or stagnation.

Swynney noted early signs of improved outcomes: the district's current third-grade cohort is meeting midyear benchmarks at parity or slightly higher than last year's third graders, a metric the district will watch ahead of the Smarter Balanced assessments this spring. "We're seeing that show up in their DIBELS data. We're seeing that show up in their I-Ready," Swinney said.

The district also invested grant funding in decodable texts aligned to the core foundations program and introduced Geodes readers (less decodable, more complex) in K-2 to build content-rich vocabulary. Hill consultants are conducting monthly site visits and learning walks focused on administrator observation and feedback skills. Swinney said special educators, interventionists and ESL staff are included in the data meetings to ensure cohesion across settings.