Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Outcomes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District unveils new Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness goals, cites persistent achievement gaps
Summary
District staff presented the shift from "World's Best Workforce" to a Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness framework, outlined literacy training for teachers and reported readiness and proficiency numbers, including a 30-point gap between special education students (16% proficient) and their local counterparts (46%).
District staff presented the Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness (CACR) report and related targets at the Nov. 14 Little Falls Community Schools board meeting.
Lisa Salber explained that the district is moving from the "World's Best Workforce" framework to CACR and highlighted a districtwide literacy initiative (LETTERS) that provides intensive professional development for teachers. Salber said the training focuses on phonics and the "simple view of reading," which separates word recognition from language comprehension, and described hands-on follow-up modules and bridge-to-practice activities for staff.
Salber shared kindergarten-readiness and growth metrics from the district's assessments: 89% proficiency on rhyming tasks, 84% able to point to and name letters, 88% able to write 13 letters, and 89% able to retell stories; some readiness items (naming parts of a book) were lower at 64% and will be monitored. On achievement gaps, she reported a persistent difference between special education students (16% proficiency in the reading measure cited) and their local counterparts (46%), leaving an unchanged gap of about 30 percentage points from the prior year.
On graduation and career readiness, Salber said the district seeks to raise the four-year graduation rate toward a 90% goal and is tracking extended-year completions as well. The district also added goals for lifelong learning, including wider implementation of AVID strategies in middle and high school classrooms.
"Informed teachers are the best insurance against reading failure," Salber said, urging continued investment in training and practical application. Board members asked about goal-setting processes and the role of the administrative team in drafting targets; Salber and other administrators described internal review with the admin team and staff input.
The presentation closed with next steps for data collection and committee work; the board did not vote on policy changes related to CACR at this meeting but received the report for review and follow-up.
