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Hopkins reports progress on Read Act implementation; teachers completing intensive LETRS training
Summary
District literacy leads told the board they are implementing state Read Act requirements, training teachers in LETRS, expanding screening and aligning interventions while awaiting additional state guidance on fourth‑grade assessment tools and approved intervention lists.
Hopkins Public Schools staff briefed the board on local implementation of Minnesota’s Read Act requirements on Feb. 25, describing training, screening and instructional alignment work the district has begun and identifying key challenges ahead.
Key points provided by district literacy staff - Professional development: Hopkins chose LETRS for the state-required foundational‑skills training and has trained internal facilitators. The administration reported 130 teachers are in LETRS volume 1 and 90 in volume 2 this year, plus 38 early‑childhood teachers in specialized training. The district said teachers are receiving multi‑day sessions and intensive online modules that together approach roughly 120 hours across the two volumes. - Screening and dyslexia checks: The district uses FastBridge for universal screening K–8 (and some ninth‑grade diagnostics for course placement), and added CBM and nonsense‑word fluency elements where required for dyslexia‑characteristic screening. Staff emphasized FastBridge was not designed as a full diagnostic for older students and said they are awaiting approved fourth‑grade‑and‑above screening tools from the state. - Curriculum and interventions: Hopkins is using UFLI and SIPs in K–2 as foundational materials, Lexia Core5 K–5 and Lexia PowerUp at 6–8. The district said it is aligning core curriculum and intervention tools to ensure coherence between Tier 1 instruction and targeted interventions.
Challenges and next steps District staff said the main challenges are time and capacity: mandated screenings are time‑intensive and require 1:1 administration, and three annual screenings create heavy demands for staff and interventionists. The district is seeking state‑provided resources and awaiting the state’s updated approved intervention list and fourth‑grade screening tools. Administrators also reported that initial FastBridge scores show increased accuracy but slower student automaticity on some fluency subtests, which staff are addressing with classroom practices and short, targeted activities.
Why it matters State Read Act requirements significantly increase professional development and screening responsibilities for districts. Hopkins officials said they prioritized intensive teacher training and local supports (cohort facilitators, principal briefings and a Hopkins Instructional Leadership Team) to strengthen classroom practice and to limit the need to add new curricular adoptions until state guidance and approved lists are completed.
