Spring Lake Park highlights two-year teacher-facilitator program and students' literacy gains

At its May 18 meeting, the Spring Lake Park Public Schools board heard a detailed update on a two-year teacher-facilitator program intended to deepen student engagement and strengthen literacy instruction.

Dr. Hope Ron introduced the work, saying the district organized two facilitator teams '1 a 27-person elementary and k-12 specialists group and a 26-person secondary and elective teachers group '1 who met repeatedly over the past two years to design and lead professional learning. She said facilitators first "engage in their own learning" and then implement strategies in classrooms so colleagues can learn from both successes and failures.

Lisa Comstock, a Northpointe Elementary teacher facilitator, told the board she learned to "be a designer, to put engagement at the forefront of my planning" and said the work has increased collaboration across grades and roles. Jen Valala said phonics routines and consistent daily structures "have helped my students" and given them "confidence, independence and overall reading abilities." Kristen Sorensen, an academic specialist introduced by presenters as a district facilitator, said the vertical, mixed-role groups helped teachers adapt instruction for English learners and deepen comprehension supports. Sarah Moses, identified as an "innovative and personalized learning specialist," described classroom coaching and said she sees students explain "why they're learning" and show pride in their work.

Students who joined the presentation demonstrated simple phonics practices and described reading activities. One student said, "My favorite part about reading is learning about new words," and another explained that, when they encounter an unknown word, they "sound it out."

Board members asked how phonics instruction affected comprehension and vocabulary. Presenters said informal classroom examples and family outreach showed gains in vocabulary and the ability to talk about reading. The superintendent noted the board had provided release time in a prior year so teachers could participate in multi-day, deeper learning sessions; presenters credited that time with enabling meaningful implementation.

The presentation emphasized that facilitator work extended beyond meeting statutory literacy requirements to integrate engagement, authentic audiences and sustained coaching. The district said 53 teacher facilitators have participated across the multi-year effort and that administrators plan to continue monitoring implementation in PLCs and weekly team meetings.

The board did not take action on the presentation; the update was provided for information and follow-up.

The district posted materials and facilitator reflections to the meeting screen and said it will continue implementation into next year.