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Mosinee School District highlights gains in third-grade reading; principals outline tools and strategies
Summary
District administrators and building principals presented a school-improvement review showing measurable gains in third‑grade ELA and described classroom supports — including Espark, Project Read and Fab Lab projects — they say helped boost engagement and early literacy.
Mosinee School District administrators presented preliminary testing data and building-level plans Wednesday, telling the board that districtwide scores edged up this year while principals described targeted steps behind the gains.
Tom, who introduced the review and cautioned that the numbers came directly from testing vendors and are subject to DPI reconciliation, said district ELA proficiency rose by about 2.4 percentage points year over year and math increased roughly 4 percentage points. He singled out third‑grade ELA as “a major celebration,” saying a combined third‑grade ELA score of 56 this year likely understates reading performance when subscores are isolated — and that the reading subscore could push that figure closer to 60.
Elementary school leaders told the board they focused on three priorities: student engagement, literacy achievement and community connections. Presenters credited classroom tools and strategies with measurable growth: Espark produced fall‑to‑spring growth above its 50 percent target for participating students; Seesaw activities and small‑group instruction were used to personalize practice; Project Read provided weekly progress monitoring and grouping recommendations for teachers; and Fab Lab projects gave students hands‑on design and technology experience.
Kate, speaking by video for the middle school, said teachers used an engagement survey three times during the year and reported gains in student‑centered learning opportunities. She described a moderation process that helped teachers vary instruction and cited peer observations and community circles as drivers of staff collaboration.
High‑school leaders reported nearly 3,500 student survey responses and said the biggest gains came when classroom work was connected to authentic, real‑world tasks. Administrators said they would use cohort tracking and more granular formative assessment work next year to better measure growth from grade to grade.
Board members asked clarifying questions about grade‑level comparisons and testing accommodations; administrators noted that text‑to‑speech is available on the Forward test for all students for nonreading items and that classroom measures do not always capture that accommodation.
The board received the presentations and discussion; principals said building leadership teams will refine action steps over the summer and bring updated plans back in August.
