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Owatonna Public Schools expands reading training under Minnesota Read Act
Summary
Owatonna Public Schools announced expanded staff training to implement the Minnesota Read Act (passed May 2023), saying instructional coaches completed over 70 hours of training and will lead more than 50 hours of professional learning for teachers; paraprofessionals are slated to join training in 2025-26.
Owatonna Public Schools announced this week that it has expanded staff training as part of implementation of the Minnesota Read Act, which the district said was passed in May 2023 to ensure students are reading at or above grade level starting in kindergarten.
A staff member for Owatonna Public Schools said, "Our amazing elementary instructional coaches have completed over 70 hours of reading instruction training." The district said those coaches are leading more than 50 hours of professional learning for elementary and special education teachers focused on the science of reading.
The announcement said the Minnesota Read Act also provides support for multilingual learners and students receiving special education services to meet individualized reading goals. "It also supports multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals," the staff member said.
The district said educational assistants "participated in reading training on MLK Day," and that paraprofessionals "will join the effort with training in the 2025-26 school year" (the original transcript rendered the year as "20 20 five-twenty 6"). The staff member added that teachers are applying newly learned skills now and that those changes are having an immediate impact on students.
District officials framed the work as part of a broader, state-driven effort to strengthen early literacy. The announcement described the training as building "a foundation for lifelong learning, one reader at a time," and said the Read Act combined with staff development makes "the future of our students brighter than ever." The district did not provide additional details on funding sources, evaluation measures, or specific classroom assessment changes in the statement.
Owatonna Public Schools identified the Minnesota Read Act (passed May 2023) and the district's training schedule as the next public steps; no formal board action or vote was recorded in the transcript.
