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Board finds ‘reasonable progress’ in ELA monitoring; Jim Falls details classroom implementation
Summary
The board accepted the district’s R 2.1a English language arts monitoring report as making reasonable progress with noted exceptions; Jim Falls Elementary staff demonstrated Wit & Wisdom curriculum work and community engagement with local Native American speakers.
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District board voted to accept the R 2.1a monitoring report on English language arts as evidence the district has made reasonable progress with noted exceptions.
Sue Kern, director of curriculum and instruction, presented the district’s academic monitoring materials, saying the district’s overall ELA achievement score was 60 out of 100—1.7 points above the state average—but that growth measures and proficiency varied across grade bands. Kern said formative and summative classroom assessments show improvement in targeted groups but identified weaknesses in writing, vocabulary and grammar, and noted that third grade students lacked exposure to some standards because of scope‑and‑sequence timing.
Kern described steps underway: implementation of Act 20‑aligned foundational literacy work (early literacy screening and targeted interventions), professional development through AIM Institute and alignment of report card language to be more parent friendly. She said secondary ELA teachers are engaged in a curriculum revision and pilot of resources to boost rigor and increase knowledge‑building texts.
Earlier in the meeting, Jim Falls principal Carrie Koenig and fifth‑grade teacher Ally Johnson described local classroom practice under the Wit & Wisdom curriculum: small‑group instruction tailored to benchmark results, student podcasts, a virtual visit from Monica Isham of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe band, and a module on Native American history that sparked student questions.
Board action: A motion to accept the R 2.1a monitoring report as making reasonable progress with noted exceptions passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: The monitoring finding shapes the district’s curriculum and accountability work and signals priorities for elementary literacy interventions, adjustments to pacing and secondary curriculum revisions.
Next steps: District teams will continue SLO and curriculum alignment, adjust scope and sequence where needed (particularly at third grade), and monitor updated state assessment changes.
