Dr. Scott Sundstrom, who leads elementary and literacy work for South Saint Paul Public Schools, told the board Nov. 24 that the district has prioritized implementation of Minnesota’s Read Act requirements and has trained nearly all required teachers in the Online Language and Literacy Academy (OLA).

Sundstrom described the district’s tier‑1 curriculum alignment: UFLY for K–2 paired with Wit & Wisdom, Functional Morphology with Wit & Wisdom for grades 3–5, and Arts and Letters being implemented in middle school to provide horizontal and vertical alignment across grades K–8.

For screening, the district uses FastBridge as an approved universal screener; K–3 screening includes the FastBridge dyslexia‑screening elements, grades 1–5 use CBM reading probes, and grades 2–12 have an online assessment covering vocabulary, morphology and comprehension. Sundstrom said the district will pilot a more in‑depth dyslexia screener for students in grades 4–5 after the winter FastBridge window; the pilot is expected to involve about 50 students who test at high risk and will help target interventions.

Sundstrom also described intervention alignment with MTSS and the district’s structured coaching model, which places equity and instructional coaches at each site and provides one‑on‑one coaching for teachers to support implementation. In response to board questions, he said onboarding includes asking interview questions about Read Act knowledge and providing required training during staff onboarding when needed; at the time of the meeting two newly hired teachers still required training.

Board members noted early classroom evidence of increased rigor and incremental gains in metrics; Sundstrom cautioned that statewide score changes take time but said local teacher practice and MCA scores are trending upward. The district will continue to report screening and implementation milestones to the board.