Big Lake rolls out state-mandated Read Basics screening, ties results to MTSS supports

The Big Lake Public School District is using the state’s new Capti Read Basics assessment to identify older students who need targeted reading support and to guide instruction under the district’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework.

Katie Onsen, the district’s literacy specialist and district literacy lead, told the board the statute requires screening in grades 4–12; Big Lake piloted implementation in grades 4–10 this year to match local capacity. Ryan Purdy, the district’s E‑12 data integrationist, said the district screened students who fell below about the 20th percentile on universal measures, then administered Capti’s diagnostic subtests to provide actionable instructional guidance.

The district used four Capti subtests this year: word recognition and decoding; vocabulary; morphology (word parts); and reading efficiency. Onsen said the decoding threshold on the word recognition subtest (a score described in district materials as 235) is the point where decoding becomes automatic enough to support comprehension. Students who do not meet that threshold typically need focused instruction in multi-syllabic decoding, vocabulary expansion and morphology, presenters said.

Purdy demonstrated how Capti dashboards link each student’s subtest pattern to recommended interventions and resources. Presenters said the district is integrating Capti results into EduCLIMBER so teams can track multi-year growth and create data walls that help teachers make targeted decisions. They also said each building will send family-facing infographics with strategies and QR codes after screening windows.

Board members asked about next steps: staff said the screening window was completed in late winter, the district will share individual results with families of tested students, and that next year state requirements will add sentence processing and reading comprehension subtests. The presenters emphasized that Capti’s diagnostic information allows the district to select more specific interventions rather than rely on broad screening alone.

What happens next: District teams will use Capti diagnostics to refine intervention assignments and report aggregate growth at a future board meeting.