Roseville schools report dip in reading proficiency, outline literacy, curriculum and support actions

Jake Vondelindi, the district's executive director of teaching and learning, told the Roseville Area School Board on Sept. 24 that the district's reading proficiency declined by roughly three percentage points in 2023''1924, to about 45.7% compared with the statewide average near 50%.

The presentation covered MCA results and FastBridge growth measures across reading, math and science, showing mixed grade-level changes, improved results in some buildings and persistent racial proficiency gaps. "We saw a decrease in proficiency by about 3 percentage points," Vondelindi said, adding that the district is about four percentage points below the state average in reading.

The district attributed part of last year's drop to a major curriculum adoption and to a period of heavy teacher learning. Staff outlined several districtwide strategies to address the trend: large-scale LETRS training for K''6 teachers, expansion of structured literacy into secondary grades, continued Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) interventions, targeted professional development, and an AVID expansion. Vondelindi also noted the hiring of an equity advancement literacy lead, Brandon Button, to coordinate literacy efforts and meet forthcoming state requirements.

Staff reviewed subgroup results and said racial disparities persist, with gaps ranging by subgroup. Vondelindi said some schools, including Edgerton and Falcon Heights, showed year-to-year increases and that several buildings have returned to or exceeded pre-pandemic proficiency levels. On participation, staff said testing during the school day pushed participation closer to pre-pandemic levels, around 80''85% in some buildings, which improves comparability.

Board members pressed for context and cautioned that grade-level proficiency slices do not represent individual student growth. "The MCA was designed to look at systems," Vondelindi said, noting the test is a summative measure meant to inform district- and school-level decisions rather than individual student progress. Directors urged combining these standardized data with "street-level" narratives from students and teachers to guide improvement.

The presentation also covered math and science results: math proficiency held roughly steady at 37.9% (about 7.6 points below the state) with grade-level gains in fourth and seventh grades, while science showed marginal districtwide gains and a five-point increase at the high-school level. For math, the district plans a major K''6 curriculum review and a program-design workstream for grades 7''12 ahead of anticipated new standards.

Next steps include continuing professional development, monitoring implementation of new curriculum, expanding targeted interventions, and reporting progress to the board. The board did not take action on the achievement report but invited staff to return with follow-up data and school-level practices that may be replicated elsewhere.