Board highlights reading gains and discusses $350,000 CLSD tutoring grant

Cordova City School District trustees on March 19 heard administrators report that targeted reading interventions supported by a CLSD grant have shown improved assessment results in several grades and that the district plans to continue and expand supports.

Administrators described a multi-part reading strategy that includes in-class tier 1 supports, pull-out intervention for some grades, targeted online tutoring and a 0.5 reading interventionist position. The district reported higher MAP percentiles in seventh and ninth grades and fewer students below the twentieth percentile; district staff emphasized the measures reflect achievement relative to national peers rather than individualized growth metrics.

The board discussed the tutoring program’s structure and funding. An administrator stated the tutoring is grant-funded under the CLSD award, described in the packet as approximately $350,000 spread over five years, and said tutoring occurs during intervention times rather than routinely pulling students from music or gym. Trustees requested more disaggregated graphs (separating math and reading) and a fuller data presentation at a future meeting.

Several trustees pressed for clarity on what continued funding would require. The superintendent and administrators said sustaining and expanding interventions will require strategic budget allocations — notably additional staff for math intervention — and that the district had temporarily reduced some high‑school course offerings and AP options this year to free staff for reading interventions.

Trustees also discussed diagnostics and curriculum alignment, noting work toward a math adoption in 2027–28 and use of tools such as Achieve the Core adherence maps to identify specific standards students miss rather than re-teach broadly. Administrators said the district will include a larger data presentation on next month’s calendar and will provide breakdowns by grade and subject to help the board decide funding priorities.

The board ended the discussion by thanking staff for the interventions and asking for a follow-up data packet next month to show which students are on the bubble and which interventions are driving the highlighted gains.