ST PAUL, Minn. — Children who were getting their first taste of school when the world shut down because of COVID are now in third and fourth grade, and many are still struggling to read.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2022 report card, only about one third of the nation’s fourth graders are proficient in reading — a dip from 2019. The average score for Minnesota students in 2022 was on par with the national averages, and our state too saw a dip in 2019.

To try to get students back on track, St. Paul Public Schools has opened the next chapter of its literacy improvement plan.

“We are really happy that we are able to announce SPPS Reads,” Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard said.

But first, let’s flip back to 2018, when the district aimed launched SPPS Achieves as part of its strategic plan.

“In that plan, we look to decrease disparities between students based on their racial groups, whether or not they’re English language or receive special education services,” Gothard said. “We’ve tried many different strategies but have found that our results haven’t always been there, and we continue to have some of the historical disparities in reading achievement that have been persistent here for a long time.”

Gothard says, in spring 2021, reading levels began to improve after the district received $209 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds. This allowed dozens of teachers to train in scientifically based reading strategies.

“Many children are taught to read by word memorization and making inferences to pictures, for example,” Gothard said. “[Whereas] the science of reading is very clear about making sure that students can pronounce words. They have phonemic awareness. That they can decode complex words and make meaning of it, make comprehension of the words they’re sounding out.”

Each certified teacher put in 180 hours of training through Lexia LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, which provides teachers with science of reading teaching methods. The teachers have been implementing these methods through a program called WINN, or What I Need Now.

“Many times, it’s in a small group in a classroom,” Gothard said. “It can be outside of the classroom, but it’s very short. It’s 45 minutes a day, and it’s every day that a small group of students receives this instruction from one of our teachers who’s been trained.”

The district reports more than 4,000 kids in the program are learning to read more quickly than their peers. They’re assessed at the beginning of the school year and again in winter and spring.

“The body language of students in those classrooms is something I notice right away,” Gothard said. “Students are sharing. Students are not afraid to show up as the readers they are, whereas in maybe a large class or maybe without the skills that they’re learning, students can feel a real sense of shame and sense of embarrassment at times, and nobody wants that for our students. So it’s been able to create a safe environment for students to step up and push themselves and be guided by our amazing teachers.”

Now with SPPS Reads, the district aims to involve families and community partners in improving literacy rates.

“We can’t put reading and literacy only on the backs of students and their teachers,” Gothard explained. “This really does require a call to action to our entire community.”

As part of the launch, Amazon last week donated $10,000 in reading instruction materials to 90 WINN teachers.

And Wednesday, the district plans to host the first of three community movie nights to explain the science of reading and show Reading Rainbow legend Levar Burton’s award-winning documentary, The Right to Read:

• Wednesday, November 29 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Johnson Senior High School
• Thursday, December 7 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Humboldt High School
• Tuesday, December 12 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Central High School

 Registration is available online.

The Saint Paul Public Library system is one of the school district’s partners, and its director provided the following statement Tuesday:

“Reading is incredibly important for everyone, especially for our youngest learners. At the library, we foster a love of reading and learning through books that represent the identities and experiences of families in our community. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Saint Paul Public Schools in helping our students to read and learn.”

-Maureen Hartman, Saint Paul Public Library 

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