Our PreK-5th graders have the day off on the last day of the second quarter, and some people might be wondering why.
Minnesota Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act, known as the READ Act, was passed and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz. The goal of this legislation is to have every Minnesota child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and to support multilingual learner and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals in order to meet grade level proficiency.
The professional development training chosen by our school district to complete this requirement is Lexia LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling); comprehensive professional learning designed to provide early childhood and elementary educators and administrators with deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading. Lexia LETRS teaches the skills needed to master the foundational and fundamentals of reading and writing instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language.
Because the training required for this takes 160+ hours over the course of two years, much of this professional development must be done outside of the regular school day. BEA Schools is providing a day at the end of each quarter for our PreK- grade 5 teachers, as well as our Special Education, ELL teachers, Reading Intervention teachers, and Curriculum Director to complete some of their LETRS training as a group.
While a lot of work, this training will help ensure our students receive the very best instruction based on the science of reading. By investing in this professional development, we aim to equip our educators with the tools and knowledge necessary to support all students in becoming proficient readers. This dedicated time allows our teachers to collaborate, deepen their understanding of effective literacy practices, and implement strategies that directly benefit student learning. We appreciate your support and understanding as we prioritize this essential training to help every child succeed.