St. James R-1 Assistant Superintendent Dr. April Williams on May 20 presented the district’s comprehensive literacy plan to the board of education. The board will vote to move forward with the proposed plan at the next meeting.

“We kind of got a jump ahead of that to create our vision of district literacy,” said Williams.

Williams said that the district tried to create a consistent plan going from PreK to 12th grade. She said that she thinks having a more formalized plan helps students move beyond basic literacy comprehension.

Williams said the state is going to require school districts to have a comprehensive literacy plan beginning next year. The plan creates a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) with three tiers for student instruction.

•Tier one is for core instruction and systems of support

•Tier two is strategic intervention

•Tier three is intensive intervention

Tier one is the core curriculum designed for all students with varying differentiation. It focuses on students in the classroom. The district will use universal screeners and benchmarks to measure student success for tier one. Beyond direct classroom instruction the core curriculum requires time set aside for all grade levels to practice reading, writing and speaking skills in small groups.

Tier two targets students who need strategic intervention in addition to core instruction. Tier two targets a small group of four to eight students that need additional instruction outside of the classroom.

Tier three targets students who will need intensive help. Tier three will focus on providing direct support to a group of two to three students or provide individualized instruction.

Buildings at the district will provide a dedicated time to tier two and three students outside of the core curriculum. The district will also implement a coaching framework designed for all grades to cultivate internal expertise and ensure sustainability for evidence based literacy practices.

The district has five pillars implemented for a graduate. The five pillars for district graduates are effective communication, critical thinking, engaged citizenship, social integrity and future focused.

“We want to empower students. We want them to think critically and communicate effectively,” said Williams. “We want them to continue to contribute meaningfully to our communities and for their future careers. We know that literacy is a keystone to getting there.”

The next board meeting will be at 6 p.m. on June 24 at the administration building.