Second Street shows reading gains; district to expand CKLA K–8 and bolster interventions

District staff told the Frankfort Independent Schools board on June 8 that spring I-Ready assessment results show notable reading gains at Second Street but persistent weaknesses in math and some middle-grade cohorts.

The presentation, focused on K–8 data, showed that more than half of Second Street students were performing at or above grade level in reading and that the proportion of students in the red (two or more grade levels below) has fallen. Staff said math remains more yellow than green and noted the district’s first year using Illustrative Math as a factor in mixed results.

"We are at grade level or above grade level in reading more than 50% of our students at Second Street," the presenter said, and added that the district saw double-digit growth in several grades. Miss Martinez, who worked with one newly enrolled student, noted that the student earned a seal of biliteracy after intensive, multilingual instruction.

The board heard that the district will expand CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) from the current early grades up through eighth grade starting next year, a move described as intended to unify literacy instruction and reduce screen time for students. Staff said CKLA’s tiered materials should help reduce the yellow band of students just below grade level and leave only a small group needing tier-three interventions.

Board members and staff discussed subgroup performance and supports. Presenters reported approximately 78 gifted-and-talented (GT) students in the K–8 cohort and about 18 English-learner students at Second Street; 504-plan counts were estimated in the mid-30s. Staff emphasized that small subgroup sizes can affect state reporting and that local tracking is necessary to guide supports.

On interventions, the district said it now employs a full-time interventionist focused on reading intervention plans and that the literacy grant’s resources (including decodables and book-buddy programs) will be extended. "Those students that still qualify for those reading intervention plans will get that targeted support from the interventionist," a staff member said.

The presentation also covered family outreach to improve free-and-reduced lunch form completion. Staff described mid-August open nights, on-site help with online forms, and classroom incentives as planned strategies to reduce stigma, correct misdirected submissions, and secure accurate income data needed for funding and resource allocation.

The board asked for further work on a district data dashboard that will allow cohort-level tracking across years so trustees can monitor longitudinal student progress. Staff said the dashboard is "in process" and will integrate prior reports to show same-cohort trends.

The district will continue examining grade-level outliers — staff singled out rising third and seventh graders for closer review — and will discuss next steps as the data dashboard and curriculum changes are implemented.