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District previews literacy rollout, new screening and professional learning
Summary
The district outlined a fall rollout of HMH ELA materials, LETRS professional learning and adoption of AIMSweb Plus as the K–3 screener; staff cautioned against direct year‑to‑year score comparisons because the state assessment aligned to new standards in 2024.
District literacy leaders presented a multi-part plan Aug. 12 that pairs a new core curriculum with screening, diagnostic tools and a multi-year professional-learning plan aimed at accelerating reading outcomes.
David Johns, leading the literacy update, told the board that the Forward Exam was aligned to new standards in 2024 and that direct comparisons with 2023 results are not straightforward. He said early district analysis shows promising movement out of the lowest performance band: "In the 23–24 forward exams, we have 12.2% less students in the lowest performance level" for grades 3–5 and "13.7%" movement for grades 6–8. Johns added that cut scores and more granular reporting will be available when the state releases them and when district data are loaded into WiseDash.
The district said it will use HMH ELA resources (universal K–8 materials) beginning this fall, follow with LETRS professional learning for educators starting in October, and implement Lexia Core5 and PowerUp as intervention tools. The statewide K–3 screener will be AIMSweb Plus; the first district administration of the K–3 screener is scheduled for midyear, with consideration for expanding screening in grades 4–5 at a later time.
Staff described the screening and assessment architecture as a "check engine" approach: the universal screener, administered three times per year, will identify students not on grade level; diagnostic assessments will then guide targeted instruction and intervention via Core5/PowerUp and teacher-led instruction. Professional learning for HMH, Core5/PowerUp and LETRS was described as ongoing, with trainer-of-trainer models and embedded sessions through October to ensure staff readiness.
Board members asked practical implementation questions about weekly instructional time for computer-based interventions, data portability for students who leave and return to the district, sample sizes and trial schools. Staff said Core5/PowerUp use will be scheduled into independent workshop time (roughly 60 minutes per week) and adapts to each student's needs; student trial results at Sullivan, Howe and Tank (K–5) and a grade-6 PowerUp trial at Washington showed growth that exceeded district averages in pilot schools.
District leaders said the first AIMSweb Plus and other diagnostic steps will give early signals about the efficacy of new curriculum and instruction and that the board will receive updated results after the first screenings and winter assessments.
