Skootenay teachers report reading gains after districtwide phonics, PLC and alignment work
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Summary
Skootenay Elementary staff told the Othello School District board they implemented systematic phonics, data-driven PLCs and weekly reteach cycles beginning in 2023 and reported measurable improvement in entering second-grade scores between 2024 and 2025.
Denise Marich, principal at Skootenay, told the Othello School District board that Skootenay’s priorities this year are professional learning communities (PLCs), foundational reading and alignment across grades K–6. "This work is not easy, and it takes time," Marich said, summarizing a multi-year effort to build a cohesive, data-driven system.
Instructional coach Tamar Lumsden described Skootenay’s shift to a research-based, systematic phonics curriculum and a rebalanced lesson design that emphasizes application at least 51% of the time. "The most important piece of it is it should be 50% or less in the skills work... the application piece, which is more than 50%," Lumsden said, explaining that students practice phonics in connected text and then encode in writing.
Assistant principal Jesse King outlined the school’s scope-and-sequence and weekly data meetings. King said teams use interim assessments to identify a priority standard, design a one- to two-week reteach plan and run weekly data meetings to determine "the next best instructional move." "These weekly data meetings sustain momentum by keeping instruction responsive and adaptive," King said.
Fourth-grade teacher Bridal Holst described classroom-level supports — scripted lessons, shared resources and live links to curriculum materials — that let substitutes and new teachers maintain consistent instruction. The presenters said the school completed baseline work in 2022, studied research and curricula in 2023, and moved to full implementation in 2024. "You can see a huge jump between our 2024 and our 2025 results," Lumsden said, referring to entering-second-grade assessment scores.
Board members asked about math; Marich said the math scores have not declined and that stronger reading has supported students’ mathematical problem comprehension. The presentation closed with an offer to share materials and continued work on extending alignment to math.
The board received the presentation and asked follow-up questions; no formal action was taken.
