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Anaheim Elementary frames literacy push after 2024 state test results; third grade shows most gains
Summary
District officials presented 2024 state test data showing modest systemwide change but gains among third graders; leadership outlined LETRS training, targeted supports for emergent bilinguals and students with disabilities, and parent-engagement steps to raise reading proficiency.
Rhonda Robertson, director of assessment, translation and accountability for the Anaheim Elementary School District, presented the district’s 2024 state test results to the school board on Nov. 13 and described a stepped-up district strategy to raise literacy.
Robertson told the board that districtwide results were broadly similar to statewide trends but that third graders showed the strongest improvement. She said about "48 percent" of third graders remained at Level 1 on the literacy measure, a group the district identified as requiring urgent attention. Robertson said the district has been analyzing three years of data by grade, school and student group to guide interventions.
District leaders said they will focus on classroom instruction and system supports already in use: LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional development, principal PLCs (professional learning communities), targeted coaching and a team of TOSAs (teachers on special assignment) funded through Title I/Title III allocations to serve emergent bilingual students. Robertson noted the district has trained cohorts of teachers (described in the presentation as a multi‑year rollout) and is continuing training for hundreds of additional teachers to scale the approach.
The presentation included ELPAC (English Learner Performance Assessment for California) results: the district reported slight declines in ELPAC scale categories while reclassification rates edged up (reported reclassification at about 11.9 percent). Robertson attributed the reclassification gain to late-year documentation and teacher work that ensured eligible students were reclassified before the end of the school year.
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Yadira Moreno said the literacy push is being embedded across departments and through family engagement. Moreno described parent-facing materials (a simple grade-by-grade pathway families can keep on a fridge) and small-group reading strategies as part of tiered instruction efforts.
Board members praised the emphasis on early literacy, asked about interventions such as Saturday academies and extended learning opportunities, and pressed for ongoing parent engagement and school-level monitoring. Robertson and other staff described data dashboards and school-level access to filtering tools that principals use to track progress.
The board did not take action on the presentation but directed staff to continue implementation and report progress through existing committee channels. The district plans further local monitoring and follow-up discussion at principal and cabinet meetings in coming months.
