Page 13 - Superintendent Annual Report 24-25

Grade-Level Cadres
During FY25, the elementary literacy team facilitated grade-level cadres as professional learning opportunities.
These sessions enhanced District K-5 teachers’ understanding of the English Language Arts (ELA) Benchmarks
for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards. Throughout each cadre, teachers from across the District
learned to develop questions and tasks aligned with the expected learning outcomes of their grade-level
standards. These cadres equipped participating teachers with the knowledge and tools to confidently lead
instructional planning, ensuring students receive ELA standards-aligned instruction and ultimately promoting
positive student outcomes.

Literacy and the Arts Initiative - Norton Museum of Art
The partnership between the Norton Museum of Art and local elementary schools, which began in 2018 with
a pilot program involving five schools, expanded to include 15 schools in FY25. This initiative focuses on
second-grade students by integrating visual thinking strategies and vocabulary into the ELA curriculum through
the theme “Stories in Art.” Teachers participated in professional learning opportunities at the museum and
collaborated to develop pre- and post-visit lesson plans that integrate art and literacy. Students subsequently
visited the Norton for inquiry-based tours, where docents facilitated discussions on art and storytelling, culmi-
nating in a hands-on art creation experience.
STARS Grant

The Supporting Teachers to Accelerate Reading (STARS) initiative provided teacher training on research-based
instructional strategies to enhance literacy instruction for students in grades K-2. The program also provided
coaching and targeted support to strengthen whole-group and differentiated small-group reading instruction.
With an emphasis on program expansion and the continuous improvement of reading instructional methods,
the STARS program offered professional learning opportunities for kindergarten and early elementary teachers,
instructional coaches, single-school culture coordinators, and administrators.

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