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San Juan Unified reports modest early-grade reading gains, flags gaps for African American students and students with disabilities
Summary
District officials reported 2.77% districtwide non-cohorted growth in early-grade reading and a 1.55% cohort gain; presenters highlighted significant subgroup gains for homeless students and English learners but noted declines for African American students and students with disabilities and outlined plans to expand screenings and professional learning.
San Juan Unified officials told the school board they have recorded modest early-grade reading gains while also identifying persistent gaps for some student groups and next steps to address disparities.
"Overall, we saw positive districtwide growth of 2.77%," said Nicole Kucherl, director of professional learning, curriculum and innovation, summarizing winter-to-winter reading results for first and second graders. Kucherl and program staff contrasted that non-cohorted increase with a cohort view — tracking the same students year to year — which showed a smaller district cohort gain of 1.55%.
The presentation highlighted subgroup variation: Kucherl said homeless students showed a 9.6% gain and English learners improved by 5.2%, while the cohort for African American students declined by 4% and students with disabilities showed only a 0.6% improvement (cohorted figures showed a 0.3% decline for students with disabilities). Presenters emphasized the small sample size behind some figures — for example a reported −18% for foster youth — and cautioned those numbers can fluctuate.
The district tied results to work already underway: expansion of mClass DIBELS screening in more grades and schools, professional learning using LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) and UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) materials, literacy coaching at selected schools (Howe Avenue and Dyer Kelly), and an "enhancing literacy" series that distributed decodable readers and training to teacher teams. Kucherl said more than half of first- and second-grade teachers voluntarily completed DIBELS screenings more than once this year and that the district plans to increase that cadence to the recommended three benchmark periods next year.
Board members praised the report and asked pointed questions about subgroup gaps and implementation. Board Member Zima Creason said she was encouraged by partnerships and urged the district to be open to targeted resources for the Black community. Board Member Ben Avey and others commended the candid presentation of strengths and remaining gaps.
Kucherl outlined next steps including a TK–8 ELA adoption process beginning in 2027–28 supported by professional learning aligned to the science of reading, an investigation of higher-education partnerships to strengthen the teacher pipeline, and continued expansion of screening and coaching supports.
The presentation included a mix of district- and site-level improvement examples and emphasized assessment paired with instructional response. No formal board vote was taken on curriculum adoption at this meeting; the presentation was informational and generated follow-up discussion about goals and implementation metrics.
