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Rockwood presents expanded literacy plan, screening rules and intervention data
Summary
District leaders outlined a multi-step comprehensive literacy plan, described dyslexia screening and Reading Success Plans (RSPs), reported nearly 740 students currently in reading intervention (down from about 1,000 pre-pandemic), and emphasized continuity of services into middle school.
The Rockwood R-VI Board heard a detailed presentation on the district’s comprehensive literacy plan and current reading interventions, including screening practices prompted by state mandates.
Dr. Stephanie Stephan, introduced on the agenda as the literacy presenter, said the district is working on step 2 of a five-step comprehensive literacy plan and cited state guidance and mandates — including the dyslexia-related requirements and Senate Bill 681 — that shape screening and intervention practices. “So a big part of Senate Bill 681 is the reading success plan,” she said, describing Reading Success Plans (RSPs) for K–5 students who are a year or more below grade-level expectations and the process of continued support into middle school.
Dr. Stephan explained the district screens students with the STAR reading assessment and that students scoring below the 30th percentile receive additional competency-based measures to check for signs of dyslexia before an RSP is created. Kindergarten screening timing recently shifted; kindergarten students will have their first STAR Early Literacy administration in November this year, she said. The district maintains data and progress monitoring in DataWise and uses interventions such as Read 180 and targeted phonics-based programs tied to the five pillars of literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension).
On outcomes and caseloads, Dr. Stephan said Rockwood’s reading intervention enrollment has fallen from nearly 1,000 students before the pandemic to about 740 currently, a change she attributed in part to enrollment declines and program exits. “We have about 740,” she said when asked for a current count. She also described personnel capacity: Rockwood has six literacy coaches overall, with two dedicated to Title I buildings, and the district recently hired external reading specialists when internal candidates were unavailable.
Board members asked how RSPs intersect with IEPs and 504 plans, whether the district recommends outside dyslexia testing, and how long students remain in interventions; Dr. Stephan responded that schools provide approved interventions when signs appear, that external diagnostic testing is outside the district’s role, and that RSPs follow students into sixth grade and beyond when necessary.
Why it matters: The district’s screening thresholds, RSP implementation and staffing levels determine how early literacy needs are identified and serviced. Clarifying how district metrics relate to DESE reports was suggested for future community-facing communications.
Next steps: District leaders offered to provide more detailed outcome data showing student progress through intervention and to present comparisons that clarify DESE reporting differences.
