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Albert Lea district reports reading and math gains; high school incidents decline from 2022
Summary
Superintendent and principal highlighted district gains on FAST and preliminary MCA measures, expansion of reading intervention (approx. 60 to 120 students), and a decline in violent incidents at Albert Lea High School (from 44 in 2022 to nine this year); vaping incidents remain a concern (37 incidents across 16 students).
District leaders used their reports to highlight academic growth at several elementary buildings and improved safety indicators at the high school as the school year ends.
Superintendent Hy reviewed upcoming graduation events and noted district priorities. Principal Sean presented assessment and behavior data showing measurable gains from expanded reading intervention and classroom efforts: the intervention program grew from roughly 60 students last year to about 120 this year, with improvements in vocabulary, morphology and word recognition percentages, and a reported reduction in students identified as "at risk" for word recognition from about 36% to 16% in one cohort. The principal credited staff including Becky God, Alinda Willoughby, Christina Gerber and Amy Steele for leading the program.
Sean also reported safety measures at Albert Lea High School: nine fights or violent incidents this year (down from 44 in 2022) and 37 vaping/marijuana incidents involving 16 students (down from 80 in 2022). He noted decreases in office referrals and attributed progress to classroom management, deans' outreach work and the presence of school resource personnel including Adam Khan and Officer Hughes.
At the elementary level, presenters shared FAST and preliminary MCA data showing growth in K'5 reading and math at multiple schools and singled out Halverson Elementary for notable percent increases in multiple grade bands. The district acknowledged some NA or preliminary MCA readings that are not yet final.
Why it matters: the data presented indicate academic progress in early literacy and math and show an upward trend in school safety metrics, information parents and the community rely on for assessing district progress and priorities. Vaping and substance incidents remain a focus for intervention.
Quote: "We have had nine fights, violent incidents, if you will. Nine is still too many in my mind. We had 15 last year. If you go back to 2022, we had 44," Principal Sean said while reviewing safety data.
What's next: leaders said interventions and monitoring will continue over summer planning; attendance and vaping remain priorities for additional work.
