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Parents push Old Saybrook board for data and independent review of K-2 reading program
Summary
At a packed Old Saybrook School District forum, parents and teachers pressed administrators for clearer assessment reporting and demanded a transparent, participatory process for the district's independent review of its K-2 reading curriculum. The board said it will collect questions and pursue an external evaluation, but did not commit to immediate program changes.
Karen Gordon, chair of the Old Saybrook School District board, opened a special forum to discuss the district's early-literacy program and said administrators would "listen, learn and have more open conversation" before acting. The meeting, attended by parents, teachers and administrators in person and online, focused on assessment transparency, program selection and the scope of an independent review the district plans to commission.
Parents and teachers repeatedly asked why benchmark and progress-monitoring results have not been routinely shared with families. "When we send a solid report home, how valuable is that to you guys as parents?" one administrator asked; multiple parents answered that they want BOY/MOY/EOY benchmark reports such as DIBELS and access to pre/post assessment data. A parent who identified herself as a second-grade parent said she had not received pre- or post-assessments and called the current reporting "excessive" to obtain.
Community members also questioned the choice of an outside reviewer. Administrators told the audience they had identified Dr. Gabriel to conduct an independent assessment of curriculum and implementation; several parents said they were concerned Dr. Gabriel's publicly stated views and urged the district to provide references, cost and a team-based review process. "We do not want Rachel Gabriel. Please do not hire her," a parent said during the Q&A, adding that parents and teachers should be included in reviewer selection.
Administrators outlined the district's implementation timeline: a multi-year adoption that included a 2023 pilot with 10 classrooms, professional development beginning in summer 2023, and expanded literacy instruction time (described in the presentation as an increase to roughly 110 minutes of daily literacy instruction in some grades). The presenters described MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) and said the number of students receiving targeted interventions had increased from about 7% (23 students in a prior snapshot) to roughly 16.6% (52 students), which staff characterized as identification and service rather than failure.
Several parents pressed for clearer measures of curriculum fidelity and asked whether the district's Tier 1 instruction fully aligns with the program goals. One teacher urged the board to focus not just on curriculum choice but also on professional development and coaching for teachers, saying, "A curriculum does not teach children to read. A teacher who teaches children to read."
Budget questions surfaced as well. A parent cited $1.7 million in the district budget and asked whether funds could be reallocated to hire additional staff, support interventions, or adopt different programs if the review recommends changes. Administrators said recommendations could carry financial implications and that they would need to identify operating funds before committing to purchases.
The board and administration repeatedly pledged to gather the many questions raised at the meeting, to provide clearer communication about assessment reporting, and to follow up with parents on the parameters, cost and timeline of any third-party review. "We've noted all your concerns and questions; we'll respond," Karen Gordon said near the close of the meeting.
The forum concluded without any formal vote on curriculum changes. The meeting was adjourned after public comment; the board said next steps will include logging tonight's feedback, sharing responses publicly and clarifying how families will receive assessment data and progress updates.
