District literacy leaders told the board Monday that the first baseline data after full ARC Core implementation show substantial gaps to address.

Executive Director Ellen Andriello said the district has implemented ARC Core and ongoing formative assessments (IRLA for English; NEAL for Spanish) and is using coaching cycles and enriched bilingual classroom libraries. “This is baseline data,” Andriello said, noting that for the district‑wide IRLA K–6 slide, 6% of students were proficient or above, 18% were at risk (just below grade level), and 71% were significantly below grade level.

Tamara Truax and Samantha Shearer described how teachers conduct one‑on‑one IRLA/NEAL assessments and set individual reading goals. Truax said ARC uses “equitable conferencing” with small groups meeting on a two‑week cycle: students needing the most support meet more frequently and proficient readers meet less often.

Trustees asked whether the tested sample skewed results and whether opt‑outs affected counts. Truax said the baseline slides shown for NEAL represented students in bilingual programs and that “we are testing all of the students” in those classes; she and Andriello committed to providing disaggregated counts and family‑friendly IRLA/NEAL reports in English and Spanish to support parent conferences.

District leaders said Wilson Foundations will supplement foundational literacy in K–2 and that ARC coaches and instructional coordinators will support teachers through coaching cycles and district learning walks. Administrators emphasized ongoing monitoring and pledged to share more detailed participation and grade‑level breakdowns with trustees.