Woodburn SD 103 outlines literacy targets, summer-school efforts; parent urges focus on 'joy of reading'

Woodburn School District 103 staff on Tuesday described the district's literacy strategy for the coming year and summarized summer-school results, while a public commenter urged the board to preserve time for independent and fiction reading.

Director of Teaching and Learning Chrissy Chapman told the board the district set a state-linked goal that "24 percent of our third graders will be on grade level for reading" as measured by the state assessment; she clarified the goal refers to all third graders and noted that Oregon's state assessment is administered in English only. Chapman said the district is continuing a multi-year partnership with Oregon RTI, revising standards of practice, expanding professional development and switching some assessments from MAP to STAR to provide both computer-adaptive testing and one-minute curriculum-based measures. "STAR assessment gives you, like, a biliteracy trajectory for students to really show… how close they are to being on track for both languages," Chapman said.

During public comment, Tony Som urged the board to balance the "science of reading" work with opportunities for students to enjoy literature. "We can call it the science of reading all we want, but if we neglect the need to include the vital element of joy, we're not only doing a disservice to our students in this community, we're turning our students off to reading," he said. Som argued district curriculum had shifted toward informational, grade-level texts and away from novels and sustained independent reading.

Board members questioned how dual-language students are measured and how the district accounts for bilingual instruction. Chapman explained that English language development (ELD) begins in kindergarten, content instruction shifts between languages in certain grades, and the district uses Spanish and Russian assessments in addition to English measures to monitor biliteracy. "The state assessment is not the best measure for a dual-language district in the earlier grades," she told members, noting STAR and locally developed assessments provide additional data.

Rhonda Johnson and other summer-school staff reported the district enrolled 656 elementary and 249 middle-school students in summer programs funded through migrant, a Washington grant and a state grant. Summer offerings emphasized literacy (added phonics time, writing and chapter-book work for grades 2–7), enrichment (STEM, cooking, art), coaching for teachers during the summer, and supports for migrant families (drop-off camps and extended-day enrichment). Staff noted attendance challenges and that they maintained wait lists and invited eligible students based on program criteria.

What comes next Staff said they will provide more detailed data on which students qualify for biliteracy recognitions and the district will schedule a work session to go deeper into the literacy materials and assessment data. The board and superintendent also discussed following up on public-comment items through the superintendent and chair when appropriate.