Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Literacy Training And Retention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines LETRS training support and braces for broad third‑grade retention impact
Summary
Staff proposed a one-day-per-semester professional leave for teachers in LETRS training at an estimated $195,273.75 to cover substitutes and projected that expanded state retention rules could raise the number of third-grade students flagged for retention from roughly 250 to 660 (before exemptions); board members urged early K–2 interventions and asked for further data and options.
District staff presented two linked literacy issues: a proposal to support teachers completing LETRS training and a discussion of the state’s phased-in third-grade retention rules.
On LETRS training, a district official (Lee) proposed one professional leave day per semester for teachers while completing LETRS coursework to allow time for in-person and asynchronous training. Lee presented a cost estimate: "To do that for the 7,865 teachers at $225.75 per substitute would cost us $195,273.75," she said. Staff acknowledged this is an increase over the earlier budget package because more teachers were included under new state guidance, and they agreed to send detailed cost estimates to the board for referral.
On retention, staff explained assessments and exemptions that will shape the scope of retained students. The district described how students are identified using KRA in kindergarten and then DIBELS, MAP and SC Ready in later grades, and cautioned that new test standards and undetermined cut scores make projections uncertain. Using last year’s numbers as a rough proxy, staff said the count of students identified for retention would increase "from 250 to 660" under the broader criteria, but Good Cause Exemptions would reduce that number in practice (one staff calculation said the net potential retentions could be about 62 under one scenario and about 284 under another). The presenter summarized the likely range as about 6.2% of third-graders possibly eligible under a broad scenario but said school-level distribution is highly variable.
Board members responded by stressing early intervention. One member urged the district to focus on kindergarten through second-grade reading supports — including reading coaches, summer programs and pilot interventions — rather than relying solely on retention. Members also asked staff to provide school-level projections and to return with practical options by January personnel allocation meetings.
What’s next: staff will provide more granular data and suggested interventions to reduce retention needs and will forward the LETRS substitute-cost proposal to the board for budgeting consideration.
