At Hopkins, our #1 focus is teaching and learning. Long before Minnesota’s statewide READ Act requirement, Hopkins committed to make sure every child had an exemplary reading teacher. Our first LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training started in 2019 and since then, over 120 teachers and 40 early childhood educators completed this rigorous, nationally recognized Science of Reading professional training. Additionally. 130 teachers and 300 instructional paraprofessionals are on track to complete the training this year. This includes 33 middle and high school teachers.
We have more LETRS trained teachers than most districts in Minnesota!
Training and implementation at this scale ensures that all teachers and paraprofessionals involved in reading instruction have the knowledge and tools they need to grow every child’s reading skills. Strong learning doesn’t happen overnight. It builds when teachers have the right support and students feel encouraged every step of the way.
We are starting to see the results of our efforts. Below are a few K-12 literacy highlights:
- New common reading assessments (Kindergarten to grade 5): All our elementary schools are using the same writing assessments to measure how students are applying their reading and foundational literacy skills. This means every student receives consistent, high-quality instruction no matter which classroom they’re in.
- Classroom learning walks: Our instructional support teams visit classrooms to see how the strategies teachers are learning through our LETRS training are showing up in every day instruction. This helps us celebrate success and keep improving.
- Families have access to the Hopkins Literacy Toolkit, a resource full of ideas and activities for supporting reading and writing at home. It’s directly connected to what students are learning in their K–5 classrooms.
- Smarter use of reading data: Using literacy screening data and progress monitoring, teachers are able to use data to make real-time decisions about classroom instruction and support and enrichment needs.
- Strengthened independent reading in middle school: Did you know 6th-8th graders read 40 minutes per day (ten minutes at the beginning of each block)? Independent reading has a significant impact on student success. During independent reading, students spend time authentically practicing a wide variety of skills within their self-selected books. Our middle schools use creative scheduling to individualize literacy support through What I Need (WIN) time.
- Hopkins High School offers rigorous literacy courses: Our rich course selection is anchored by eight required Language Arts credits. The Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition course is one of the most highly enrolled AP classes and saw an impressive 80% AP exam pass rate this past summer. In this course, teachers challenge students to analyze and communicate with precision. As a result, students consistently report feeling prepared for the demands of college-level learning.
In November, I will share our math journey which will include our progress in implementing a new elementary math curriculum designed to strengthen foundational math skills across all grades.
Thank you for your continued partnership in helping every child thrive.
Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed
Superintendent
Hopkins Public Schools