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Parent and literacy professor urges RSU 5 to adopt evidence-based K'3 reading curriculum
Summary
At the June 3 RSU 5 board meeting, parent and literacy professor Kate McElliot pressed the board to mandate universal literacy screening, adopt tier-1 evidence-based K'3 curriculum within two years and pilot a classroom using such materials, arguing current units-of-study approaches do not provide systematic phonics instruction.
Kate McElliot, a Freeport parent and literacy professor, told the RSU 5 board June 3 that the district's current early-reading materials are insufficient and urged immediate policy and instructional changes.
"Kids must be taught to read," McElliot said during the public-comment period, arguing that reading is not innate and that instruction must be explicit and systematic. She said widely used "units of study" materials used in RSU 5 were "not comprehensive and systematic" in teaching foundational phonics and that many students are left behind as a result.
McElliot asked the board to consider three actions: require district-wide universal literacy screening and progress monitoring (the district already uses Acadience in some places), adopt a K'3 curriculum aligned to national evidence standards within two years (she cited EdReports as a benchmark), and pilot at least one classroom next year using a tier-1 evidence-based program for comparison. McElliot said data in neighboring districts and states shows measurable gains after such changes.
Superintendent Gray and board members acknowledged the concern and noted the district has started some early screening and intervention efforts this year. Gray said the strategic plan and curriculum work planned for the coming year will intersect with literacy priorities and that the administration will continue to bring data and options to the board.
McElliot returned during a later public-comment slot to press the board for a concrete agenda item next week, urging the board to dedicate resources and training over the summer rather than delaying action until next year.
What happens next: The board is scheduled to consider an updated strategic plan at its next meeting; McElliot asked that literacy-specific steps (screening, pilots and training) be added to board deliberations and budget planning.
