LRSD presentation: K–3 literacy shows gains; district highlights MTSS, screenings and family access to individualized reading plans

District literacy staff presented an overview of early-literacy efforts and results at the July 16 board work session, saying the district has seen measurable gains while acknowledging continued work remains.

The presenter (identified in the transcript as Miss Goody) opened by summarizing relevant state legislation and the district literacy goal: a 3rd-grade proficiency rate target of 46% by 2029. She walked the board through two sets of charts: proficiency over time for K–3 and the share of students in the state's 'level 1' (at-risk) category. Examples given during the presentation included year-over-year moves such as kindergarten from 43% to 50% proficiency and a 10-percentage-point gain in 3rd grade; level-1 rates declined (for example, 3rd grade from 40% to 30%). The presenter said those proficiency gains outpaced state improvements in some grades.

She framed reading instruction with the 'simple view of reading' (word recognition × language comprehension) and described the district's core curricular choices: Foundations for word recognition (30 minutes daily in K–3) and Wit & Wisdom as the knowledge-building curriculum block (about 80 minutes daily in K–5). The presenter explained the district assessment cadence: a fall screener within the first 30 days, follow-up diagnostics to pinpoint needs, two interims for K–3 during the school year, and an end-of-year summative assessment.

Policy and practice features the presenter emphasized include:

• Individualized Reading Plans (IRPs): required by statute for students identified as at risk; these must be completed, accessible to families, and used to guide interventions.

• MTSS/ESPIT teams: school-based intervention teams that triage and monitor student needs; two district MTSS coordinators provide cross-school support and training.

• Tiered instruction: tier 1 (core instruction and scaffolded differentiation), tier 2 (small-group interventions), tier 3 (individualized intensive intervention and special-education referral when appropriate).

• Dyslexia supports and reading specialists: the district reported adding district-level reading teachers and deploying dyslexia specialists to buildings as needed; BUILD is used in K–1 and Wilson Reading for 2+.

• Dashboards and early-warning indicators: intended to help ESPIT/MTSS teams identify students by attendance, grades and assessment trends and to ensure consistent identification of students who need help.

Directors asked about family-facing communications (how families know where their child stands) and the presenter recommended IRPs plus conferencing as vehicles to share progress. Board members also asked about the role of technology and GT supports; the presenter said supplemental tech tools can support differentiation and that GT specialists provide rotational supports in K–2 and districtwide screening for 2nd grade.

The presenter repeatedly emphasized that while the district has made progress, “we have a lot of room to go,” and highlighted initiatives to build system coherence: stronger IRPs, dashboards for monitoring, more reading teachers, and professional development for school teams.

Next steps: staff said they will continue to refine IRP access and dashboards, post parent resources on the district site, and pursue training and scheduling supports to ensure tiered instruction is implemented consistently across schools.