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Merced district reports early reading gains, outlines strategic plan and pilots
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Sergio Mendes told trustees that early implementation of structured reading and interventions shows promising midyear growth for several student groups and previewed a strategic plan, literacy and math pilots and expanded inclusion measures.
Assistant Superintendent Sergio Mendes presented the board with the second instructional update describing early results from the district’s instructional-identity plan and rollout of structured literacy and numeracy.
Mendes said the district has implemented classroom walkthroughs (more than 3,000 visits this school year), expanded mentorships (about 900 students matched to mentors), and begun targeted interventions. He described preliminary assessment takeaways from I-Ready, Aadians and Read 180 midyear data for kindergarten through sixth grade and intensive-intervention classes for seventh and eighth grades.
Mendes reported that 54% of overall students showed above or well-above reading growth on midyear measures and gave subgroup figures that the district highlighted: Black/African-American students 61%, Hispanic students 58%, students with disabilities 81%, and English learners 77%. He described these results as early indications that structured reading is having a positive effect and said the district would continue expanding tiered interventions.
Mendes also outlined next steps: adopt a statewide reading-difficulty screener, begin dual-language immersion kindergarten classes at a named site, pilot math instruction in January 2026 and follow with ELA pilots, increase inclusion for special-education students, and create a district strategic plan to sustain the instructional identity work. Trustees asked for clearer visualizations and a public dashboard; Mendes said the district is partnering with a vendor to develop a dashboard similar to one used in Fresno Unified.
Trustees thanked staff for the update and asked for additional detail on how the district will scale interventions, incorporate staff feedback through surveys and broaden empathy interviews to include staff as well as students.
