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Targeted literacy coaching and phonics intervention produce measurable gains at Maddie Washburn Elementary
Summary
Windsor Unified showcased a new literacy assessment matrix and targeted intervention cycles at Maddie Washburn Elementary. The district adopted Core Phonics diagnostics, STAR CBM probes and a 'walk‑to‑read' model; staff reported gains across TK–2 classrooms and plan broader rollout next year.
District curriculum officials presented a multi‑part early‑literacy initiative for Maddie Washburn Elementary on May 8 that combined a common assessment system, targeted intervention groups, and on‑site coaching for teachers and instructional aides.
Annette Zucconi, director of curriculum, said staff implemented universal screeners (RenStar) and added STAR CBM and a shared Core Phonics diagnostic to give teachers more granular information about phonics, fluency and decoding. Instructional coach Nicole Albini described the "walk‑to‑read" model used in second grade: students were clustered by skill, moved to targeted 30‑minute lessons four days a week, and were re‑grouped after six‑week progress‑monitoring cycles.
"Through frequent progress‑monitoring cycles, we met as a team and used the data to drive our next six weeks of instruction," Albini said. The presenters showed side‑by‑side class data from October, after the first cycle, and in May, noting substantial increases in students meeting grade‑level benchmarks for phonics and fluency.
Zucconi said the district developed an assessment binder and training materials so any teacher can administer the new measures consistently next year. She emphasized that literacy gains at early grades correlate strongly with long‑term outcomes: "By third grade, outcomes change drastically if kids are unable to read by then," she told the board.
Board members praised the approach and encouraged scaling site‑wide. Trustees asked administration to correlate these phonics and diagnostic improvements with STAR reading comprehension scores once the next STAR administration is complete.
Staff will continue refining the system, add aligned math assessment work next year, and offer training for more teachers and instructional aides.
