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Santa Cruz Elementary reports kindergarten reading gains after targeted interventions
Summary
Principal Stephanie Reinhardt and kindergarten teacher Ms. Abramson described data-driven small-group interventions (Spalding, FastBridge) that raised school proficiency from about 30% in the fall to 55% at winter screening; Ms. Abramson's class rose from 25% to 74% midyear, the presenters said.
Principal Stephanie Reinhardt presented a classroom spotlight on April 8 highlighting targeted kindergarten literacy work at Santa Cruz Elementary.
Reinhardt described the school’s use of professional learning teams, Spalding curriculum and data from FastBridge to identify foundational reading skills and to form short-term, targeted goals. "From this collection of information we decided to target specific skills," she said, describing training for paraeducators and focused small-group intervention.
Reinhardt introduced teacher Ms. Abramson, who detailed her tiered approach: whole-group tier 1 instruction followed by targeted tier 2 interventions informed by weekly assessments and FastBridge subtests. Abramson said her classroom showed strong growth: "By mid year she has exceeded and surpassed expectations and now has 74% of her students proficient," according to the presentation.
School-level data shown to the board reported Santa Cruz's school proficiency average improving from roughly 30% in the fall to 55% in winter, surpassing the district average. Reinhardt said the school plans to extend the approach vertically to first and second grades and to provide professional development to strengthen whole-group instruction and targeted interventions.
Board members praised the focus on engagement and community support and asked about challenges, to which presenters cited data analysis time and diagnosing specific skill gaps as the primary constraints. The presentation was informational; the board asked no formal votes on the spotlight.
