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RPS outlines literacy push: PLCs and MTSS being used to scale evidence-based interventions
Summary
District leaders described how professional learning communities (PLCs), FastBridge screening, diagnostic assessments and EduCLIMBER data systems support a multi-tiered approach to literacy; board members pressed for clarity on parent notification, secondary capacity, and staff training.
Rochester Public Schools presented a multi-tiered strategy to accelerate literacy across grades using professional learning communities and an MTSS framework at the Dec. 3 board meeting.
Mona Perkins (chief academic officer), Justine Trueblood (MTSS facilitator) and Jill Dunn (coordinator of tiered supports) briefed the board on the district’s approach. They described FastBridge universal screening three times a year, a target that 80% of students be on-track for core instruction, and a trigger to add a core intervention when fewer than 70% are at benchmark. The presenters said diagnostic follow-ups and short progress monitoring checks are being used to tailor instruction and to decide when to escalate students to Tier 2 or Tier 3 supports.
Presenters acknowledged constraints: limited common intervention time in elementary schedules, insufficient human capital for frequent progress monitoring at the secondary level, and a need for more consistent PLC expectations across buildings. Justine Trueblood said PLCs are “encouraged to include our interventionists, our special education teachers and our multilingual teachers” so teams can match diagnostic findings to evidence-based interventions.
Board members asked how families are notified when screening flags a student. The presenters said families are notified following screening windows, and the district produced forms explaining scores, identified areas of struggle and recommended home strategies; staff noted that these notifications occurred around parent–teacher conference time and that they extended outreach through sixth grade.
Directors also asked whether AI tools are being used. Staff said some sites use AI to generate practice text and accommodations; they are exploring tools for instructional support and accommodations while stressing fidelity to evidence-based interventions.
Next steps listed by presenters included clarifying anchor standards for tier 1 literacy, finalizing flexible scheduling pilot recommendations, completing a K–21 resource map that ties interventions to progress-monitoring tools, and building EduCLIMBER training modules for staff.
