Special — September 30, 2026

2h 20m · YouTube · Simbli

The Board was scheduled to receive an update on Formative Assessments being utilized for K-5 students. The meeting also included an opportunity for public comment.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors. Not an official record.

📣 Verified Attendance & Public Comment Guide

How to Attend, Speak & Share This Meeting

Official Session Start Times

Start time: 6:00 PM

Verified from the official Board Meeting Calendar (Board Calendar (2026-09-23 agenda)). Individual item clock times are not predicted because the Board may reorder items live.

In-Person Location & Remote Access

750 Bradford St, Redwood City, CA 94063

District Office Board Room & Zoom Webinar.

Public Comment (Section 5)

In person or via Zoom · 3 min

Agenda items only. Spanish interpretation available.

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*RCSD School Board Meeting (Special)*
📅 September 30, 2026 · 6:00 PM
📍 In person: 750 Bradford St, Redwood City
💻 Zoom: https://rcsdk8-net.zoom.us/s/87091000519
🗣️ Public comment (Item 5): sign up before or at the start of the meeting: https://forms.gle/sE7ZdmMKc1q5VVwt6

*Key agenda topics:*
• 6.1: Update on Formative Assessments being utilized for K-5

Full agenda & latest official updates: https://rcsd.info/meetings/2026-09-30/

Official source: Simbli / GAMUT (checked 2026-10-01).

⚖ Evidence-Typed Post-Meeting Deliberation Recap

What Was Proposed, What Was Said & How the Board Voted

In a 2-hour-19-minute Special Study Session, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Anna Herrera and Educational Services staff walked the Board through K–5 formative assessments (PLCs, i-Ready diagnostics and Standards Mastery, BPST foundational decoding, and UCSF Multitudes dyslexia/literacy screening), followed by an extended Board reflection on study-session norms.

Item 6.1 Official Minutes Approved

School/Community Reports: Update on Formative Assessments Utilized for K–5

1. Packet Proposal (Staff Memo & Attachments)

Study session presentation on K–5 formative assessment tools, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), i-Ready Reading & Math growth metrics, and early literacy screening via UCSF Multitudes.

📄 Ed. Services Board Report: PLCs, Formative Assessment, i-Ready & Multitudes (updated 9/29/26)

2. Video Discussion & Public Testimony (Interval-Verified)

Trustees engaged in an extended Q&A ([38:11]–[130:08]) examining how teachers use assessment data without over-testing students, why foundational phonics decoding (BPST) transitions after 2nd grade, and how Thursday minimum-day PLC collaboration works across small and large school sites.

Trustee Mike Wells, Assistant Superintendent Anna Herrera & Ed. Services Staff: Trustee Wells asked how i-Ready diagnostics, unit assessments, and the new state-mandated Multitudes screener fit together without duplicating testing time. Assistant Superintendent Anna Herrera and staff explained that UCSF Multitudes is a free, one-time universal screener required by state law (administered later in the year for Kindergarten) and that i-Ready Standards Mastery modules are optional.
Clerk Jennifer Ng Kwing King & Assistant Superintendent Anna Herrera: Clerk Ng Kwing King asked whether grade-level PLC data meetings happen only within each school or across sites, noting that smaller schools have only ~20 students per grade. Assistant Superintendent Herrera explained that staggered bell schedules (e.g., McKinley starting at 8:15 AM vs. Kennedy at 8:30 AM) currently constrain cross-site Thursday PLC blocks.
Trustee Mike Wells, Assistant Superintendent Anna Herrera & Ed. Services Staff: Trustee Wells asked why the BPST foundational phonics assessment stops after 2nd grade when some 3rd–5th graders are not yet reading proficiently. Staff clarified that all elementary teachers were trained in CRLP foundational skills and that older students whom i-Ready flags as still needing phonics are assessed with the BPST by a reading interventionist (grades 3–5) or an intervention teacher (grades 6–8).

3. Spoken Motion & Vote on Video (Provisional Record)

Study Session presentation and discussion; no Board vote taken on Item 6.1.

4. Official Minutes Reconciliation Report an error

Minutes of the September 30, 2026 Study Session were approved on the October 14, 2026 Consent Calendar (Item 11.1), recording the presentation and discussion with no action taken.

📄 View Minutes PDF

Evidentiary integrity note: Every item strictly separates (1) the pre-meeting packet proposal, (2) interval-verified video discussion timestamps, (3) provisional spoken votes on video, and (4) formally approved minutes. Report an error or request a correction.

📑 Board Packet Digest & Baseline Analysis

Reviewed Board Packet Digest & Consent Calendar Spotlight

Single-topic 6:00 PM Study Session (90 minutes allocated; adjourned 8:20 PM) on K–5 formative assessments: Professional Learning Communities, i-Ready Reading & Math diagnostics, and the Multitudes universal K–2 reading-difficulty screener. Per the draft minutes, trustees asked for cohort-based literacy progress data for TK/K students toward the district’s third-grade literacy goal and raised concerns about assessment burden, coaching capacity, and PLC implementation.

Item 6.1 90 min allocated Study Session Deep Dive — Uncertified Early CAASPP & i-Ready Figures

School/Community Reports: Update on Formative Assessments Utilized for K–5

What the packet proposes: Educational Services presents how K–5 teacher teams use Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), i-Ready Reading and Math diagnostic windows, and the Multitudes universal K–2 reading-difficulty screener. The slide deck reports district-wide i-Ready Reading growth of 54% (spring 2023-24 baseline) → 57% (spring 2024-25) → 60.7% (winter 2025-26) against a 66% goal for 2026-27, and Math growth of 46% → 47% → 56.4% against a 58% goal. It also shows preliminary 2025-26 CAASPP scores as of June 5, 2026 ("99% release" ELA: 50.6% met/exceeded; "97% release" Math: 43.7% met/exceeded; English Learners: 8.1% ELA and 2.6% Math vs. LCAP targets of 20% and 16%).

Why it matters: Important methodological caveat: The deck’s "i-Ready Growth" percentages do not specify whether they represent median percent of typical growth or the share of students meeting annual typical growth, and compare Spring baselines against a Winter 2025-26 window. Additionally, the June 5, 2026 CAASPP figures are uncertified early district pulls rather than the official CDE state release.

Comparable Baseline & Certification Context (LCAP Goal 3 i-Ready Growth & Preliminary 2025-26 CAASPP):
Census / Cut Date: CAASPP pull as of 2026-06-05 (97–99% release); i-Ready Winter 2025-26 · Fiscal Period: SY 2025-26 / LCAP 2026-27 Targets
The deck’s i-Ready columns compare spring 2023-24 (baseline) and spring 2024-25 with winter 2025-26, a mid-year window (deck p. 3); CAASPP figures are pre-certification district pulls as of June 5, 2026, not final CDE DataQuest releases.

📄 Ed. Services Board Report: PLCs, Formative Assessment, i-Ready & Multitudes (pp. 1–44 (figures on p. 3))

Provenance & methodology: Verified against official Simbli board memos and R2-archived packet PDFs (Simbli, checked 2026-11-02).

Loading transcript...

10:14Call to Order1min

1.1Roll CallProcedural

22:30Welcome1min

2.1Notification of Meeting RecordingProcedural

Item details

Quick Summary / AbstractThe Board will notify the audience that the Board meeting will be audio-taped, broadcast, and recorded for the District's Recording Channel.

2.2Pledge of AllegianceProcedural

34:18Changes to the Agenda1min

44:36Approval of the Agenda (Action Required)1min

54:42Public Comment

65:00School/Community Reports1.5hr

6.1Update on Formative Assessments being utilized for K-5Information

Ed. Services Board Report. updated 26.09.29

Item details

Quick Summary / AbstractEducational Services will provide the Board with an overview of the district's assessment system and the structures used to turn student evidence into instructional action. The study session connects i-Ready, classroom and curriculum assessments, early-literacy screeners and diagnostics, and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The central message is that no single assessment determines a student's need: teachers use multiple measures to identify who may need support, diagnose the specific skill gap, plan instruction or intervention, and monitor the student's response.

RationaleThe purpose of the study session is to clarify how assessments serve different but complementary functions and how PLCs support consistent, timely responses across schools. The district is strengthening a cycle of inquiry in which educators establish SMART goals, review common formative evidence, adjust Tier 1 instruction, provide targeted intervention or enrichment, and monitor progress every four to six weeks. This work supports LCAP Goal 3 by improving academic outcomes and supports Goal 1 through a coordinated multi-tiered system of support. Redwood City Assessments i-Ready diagnostics, curriculum assessments, daily checks, foundational-skills measures, oral reading fluency, ELD assessments, ELPAC, and CAASPP are used at different points for screening, diagnosis, progress monitoring, and summative review. i-Ready: At-grade-level performance and growth are related but distinct. Typical Growth reflects expected annual progress; Stretch Growth is an accelerated target intended to help students below grade level move toward proficiency. Improving i-Ready performance is expected to support stronger CAASPP outcomes, while the measures are not interchangeable. Professional Learning Community (PLCs) : Monthly grade-level PLCs in 2026-27 focus on common assessments, student work, progress monitoring, instructional adjustments, and targeted supports or extensions. Eight schools receive targeted Solution Tree coaching; Kennedy, Henry Ford, and Garfield receive onsite and virtual support, while McKinley, Roosevelt, Hoover, Adelante, and Orion receive virtual support. Early Literacy: BPST and Aprendo provide specific foundational-skills information for English and Spanish literacy instruction. Multitudes is a universal K-2 screener that identifies students who may be at risk; it does not by itself assign a student to intervention Curriculum: Benchmark/ Adelante include interim, weekly, quick-check, and unit assessments. Illustrative Mathematics includes daily Cool Downs, mid-unit checkpoints, and end-of-unit assessments; digital dashboards can show performance by standard. Baseline Data Highlight The 2025-26 Multitudes baseline included 2,464 K-2 students. Overall, 1,703 students (69.12%) were on target and 761 students (30.88%) were identified as needing additional review or support. Results were similar by assessment language: 69.40% on target in English and 68.37% on target in Spanish. By grade, 71.50% of kindergarten students, 65.22% of first-grade students, and 70.49% of second-grade students were on target. Site and student-group results will be used to focus on follow-up analysis and instructional planning. District Response and Next Steps Use Multitudes to identify who needs a closer review, then examine classroom evidence, teacher observations, and diagnostic results such as BPST or Aprendo to determine the specific skill need. Provide targeted Tier 1 differentiation or Tier 2 support based on the identified skill, and monitor progress to determine whether the student is responding. Continue monthly PLC cycles with common goals, assessments, and progress monitoring; principals and Solution Tree coaches will support consistent implementation. Use Benchmark/Adelante interim assessments and Illustrative Mathematics checkpoints to strengthen standards-based planning, reteaching, intervention, and enrichment. Transition from Literably, which has been discontinued, to i-Ready Oral Reading Fluency for students in grades 2 and 3 during 2026-27.

Financial ImpactThere is no additional impact on the General Fund. All associated personnel (MTSS TOSAs, software tools (i-Ready, School Status, Powerschool Analytics), school curriculum and professional development (San Mateo County TFI 3.0 training) are fully budgeted under current LCAP Goal 1 allocations.

72:10:37Board of Trustees Meeting Reflection10min

82:19:16Board of Trustees Meeting Calendar1min

92:19:43Adjournment (Action Required)

Minutes approved at the October 14, 2026 meeting.

2026.09.30 Minutes DRAFT

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