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March 6, 2026
GLPS Families,
As we wrap up the first week of March, it starts to feel more and more like spring outside, and as we finish our second trimester of the year, it is a good time to reflect on what we have accomplished so far this year and look ahead to the work we will continue to do throughout the last third of the year. As you know, our strategic plan outlines our district goals, which can be viewed here by building and for the whole district. Over the next couple of weeks, I will spend time in my Friday update highlighting some of our district wide goals and sharing the specific steps we are taking to achieve them. To those ends, I am going to start this week focusing on academics. However, since we have so many academic goals, and we have dedicated a lot of time, effort, and energy toward literacy this year with the launch of CKLA literacy curriculum for our elementary and intermediate students and the accompanying Amplify curriculum tool pilot at Beagle (and March is Reading Month!), I am going to focus on our reading goals today.
If you review our goals document linked above, you will notice that all of our buildings have goals around literacy growth. We measure this growth through the NWEA and DIBELS 8 assessments, MSTEP, and/or PSAT and SAT, depending on the grade level. But, regardless of the way we measure a child’s ability to read, we know that ensuring that all students learn to read is a daily focus across our district. In fact, at the February 9th Board of Education meeting, Executive Director for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Dr. Bill Albrecht and Instructional Supervisor Abbie Burmeister gave a presentation to the board on our current beliefs, systems, and data around literacy in our district. The presentation that they gave can be found here in its entirety. You can also watch the video of that presentation on our board page, starting at around the 36 minute mark of the recording.
As a summary of that information, we are currently finding across the district more students are showing growth in literacy in our district than ever before, thanks to the efforts of our students, families, staff, and leaders. On NWEA for example, GLPS is in the top ⅓ of achievement across all districts that take the NWEA, and our scores are showing more growth than 61% of them. By the time they get to high school, ⅔ of students are meeting or exceeding literacy benchmarks on the PSAT/NMSQT. However, while our MSTEP and PSAT scores are well above the state and county average, we are sitting at about 44% and 56% advanced or proficient on those assessments. This data highlights our growth and achievement, but also indicates that we have work to do to ensure that all students are proficient readers by the time they graduate.
With that in mind, moving forward, we will continue work on our implementation of CKLA. The program is research-based and rooted in proven practices for literacy instruction; therefore, we know that continued work with such a strong resource will help create stronger readers. As students get older and move up through the system, a continued focus on applying those early literacy skills to increasing complex texts will help students grow in skill and confidence as they use their ability to read and comprehend grade level literature to learn, understand, and make meaning of a variety of ideas. Multi tiered systems of supports in the district continue to improve as well, as we work to provide additional learning opportunities to students who need them, whether that is to help close gaps or push students farther, faster.
I often get asked how parents and families can help support their children’s literacy growth at home. The easiest answer is to read with your kids, and model being a reader. Take time to read, talk about what you are reading, and ask kids to share what they have learned about reading at school. Helping students understand the importance of literacy is a huge step that helps them grow as readers, regardless of age or grade level. Another great way to do this is to partner with the Grand Ledge Area District Library. As a reminder, all GLPS students automatically receive a library card!
Thank you for all you do to support that work that we are doing here at GLPS. I truly value the opportunity to work with you and your children every day. Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, I am #proudtobeacomet!
Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools
