Minnetonka outlines literacy rollout tied to state Read Act, sets training deadlines

District officials on Dec. 18 told the Minnetonka Public School District board that literacy remains a top priority and that state law enacted in 2023 (the Read Act) requires new training, screening and intervention practices.

Associate Superintendent Amy LeDoux said the Read Act shifted statewide focus from a single third‑grade benchmark to expecting every student to make grade‑level progress yearlong. "Literacy continues to be a high priority goal," LeDoux said, and the district's report covered screening and diagnostic tools, core ELA instruction, data‑driven decision making and professional learning.

Matt Breen, director of research analysis and systemic improvement, described the district assessment cadence. Kindergarten students take the English Early Reading assessment in fall and progress through CBM fluency probes through fifth grade. For identified students in grades 2–3 the district uses an additional gated screener (including a nonsense‑word subtest) to diagnose possible decoding or phonics needs. Breen said the district is piloting deeper benchmarks for Chinese immersion students and has developed a “four‑box” protocol to combine fluency and accuracy data for clearer instructional responses.

Literacy coordinator Alyssa Rutherford described classroom data response planning meetings—grade‑level teams that meet after benchmark windows to interpret screening results and choose targeted Tier 1 or Tier 2 steps. She said FastBridge progress‑monitoring data now flows into EduCLIMBER dashboards so teachers can view graphs, set goals and monitor rates of improvement rather than relying on separate paper routines.

District staff also highlighted a new diagnostic for older students (a Read‑Basics diagnostic for grades 4–12) intended to unpack why a student may not be at grade level and to help target interventions. Rutherford explained that CBM measures fluency and accuracy while the diagnostic subtests point to specific strands—decoding, multisyllabic word work or morphology—so instructors can tailor instruction.

Officials described a modest expansion of evidence‑based tutoring through Reading Corps at one elementary site (Deep Haven) this year, delivering scripted, high‑dosage tutoring in one‑to‑one or paired formats for roughly 20 minutes daily. They said the district will reapply for additional sites next year and rely on the Minnesota Department of Education’s evidence review (posted Dec. 11) to ensure interventions meet the Read Act’s evidence requirements.

District leaders emphasized timelines tied to the Read Act: Phase 1 professional learning (K–5 cohorts and required staff groups) must be completed by July 1, 2026; Phase 2 (secondary/other identified educators) is targeted for completion by July 1, 2027. The presenters said principals, assistant principals and building interventionists play an active role in the post‑benchmark data meetings that translate screener findings into instructional actions.

Next steps: staff will continue to refine assessment reliability (particularly for immersion benchmarks), expand progress monitoring practices in middle and high schools, and use district PD days to build teacher capacity for the Read Act requirements.