District reports big benchmark gains in early-literacy work tied to HB3 supports
Summary
District presenters said benchmark 1 reading results and program redesigns driven by Texas Reads/Texas Leads supports show sizeable early gains; the board heard a detailed plan to sustain structured literacy blocks and bilingual supports to reach a STAR reading target of 40% by June 2026.
Castleberry ISD leaders told the board they have already seen notable early gains after implementing structured literacy and redesigned instructional blocks tied to House Bill 3 priorities. Kristen Smith Faulkner and instructional staff presented benchmark and classroom changes intended to raise the district's STAR reading performance from a 36% baseline to a 40% target by June 2026.
Presenters said benchmark 1 this year showed strong improvement compared with the prior baseline and attributed early gains to yearlong professional development through the Texas Reads/Texas Leads grant and a targeted redesign of instructional time. "We've seen an increase from 16% to 46% of students meeting expectations," a presenter said while showing benchmark comparisons and redesigned block schedules that prioritize structured literacy, vocabulary and personalized practice.
District staff emphasized bilingual alignment, the addition of enhanced item types to local benchmarks, and classroom-level changes such as scheduled foundational literacy blocks, small-group instruction and adaptive tools (named in the presentation) to support individual needs. The approach includes monitoring via benchmarks and teacher coaching; board members commended the work and asked for continued reporting on outcomes.
The presentation was descriptive of strategies and intermediate assessment data; no board action was required at the meeting.
