Canutillo ISD outlines literacy, math targets and classroom changes amid mixed early results
October 29, 2025 | CANUTILLO ISD, School Districts, Texas
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Canutillo Independent School District staff told the board on Monday that the district met a 56% third-grade English reading target ahead of the June 2027 LSG (Lone Star Governance) timetable in the most recent data, but officials said growth was uneven across languages and grade bands and that secondary outcomes remain a concern. The presentation summarized the district s year-one steps on literacy and mathematics: adoption of Wonders/Maravillas for K'2 literacy with a district minimum of 120 minutes for K'2 reading instruction (100 minutes for fifth grade because of scheduling), weekly oral fluency checks and a 15-minute daily adaptive practice block; and a full, districtwide roll-out of STEMscopes for K
(algebra 1) math with a standardized 100-minute math block in elementary grades.
District LSG representatives Rudy Palacios and Sean (last name given in the presentation) said the literacy initiative included focused professional development for teachers and principals, discontinuation of duplicative supplemental materials, and partnerships with TNTP, CREED and the Texas Reads/Maravillas initiative to support structured literacy. "We set a minimum of 120 minutes of instructional time for reading language arts," Palacios said during the presentation, adding that Wonders/Maravillas provides weekly oral fluency assessments that will be used as a quick check on progress and to trigger targeted small-group instruction.
The presenters gave a grade-by-grade summary: limited growth in some kindergarten measures; robust gains in first and second grade (district averages near 15 percentage points of growth in many targeted domains); and a reported 10 percentage-point gain in third-grade English from a prior baseline to 56% on-grade-level performance. In third-grade Spanish reading, officials said performance remained below target (21% reported in the presentation versus a 26% goal). Palacios and staff cautioned that changes in the number of students taking the Spanish assessment from year to year can make percentage comparisons look volatile when cohort sizes are small.
Trustees asked how the district is addressing fluency and comprehension. Palacios pointed to Wonders built-in weekly oral fluency measures and described a classroom routine where teachers use a 60-minute whole-group block, targeted two-week progress-monitoring cycles and daily personalized practice under an adaptive program. Bilingual coordinator Emily Aguirre said the district intentionally uses authentic Spanish material so that stories do not simply duplicate English selections; that design can complicate direct across-language comparisons but supports authentic biliteracy. "You can leverage the English story for an end-of-week comprehension check and use the Spanish text for language-specific skills," Aguirre said in response to a trustee question.
Administrators also described supports for secondary grades, where staff said implementation lagged last year. The district has partnered with CREED and TNTP to deliver secondary-level training on coherence and belonging and to expand principal coaching and PLC work. For grades 62, the district reported 45-minute literacy blocks and some early classroom use of My Perspectives (ELA) and other vetted materials; administrators said fuller fidelity and usage are still in development and that observation and coaching cycles are being expanded.
Board members pressed administrators for clarity about assessment practices and parent engagement. Administrators noted built-in weekly "letters to home" in the Wonders/Maravillas system and digital libraries (AR/MyOn) intended to support family practice. Trustees suggested additional parent tutorials and back-to-school sign-in sessions to ensure families can access the digital materials.
The district framed its next steps as strengthening fidelity through principal-led walkthroughs, deeper professional development in secondary grades, continued work with bilingual curriculum researchers and periodic public access to live data dashboards. Officials said they will return periodically with updated STAR/benchmarks, the weekly fluency results and evidence of classroom-level fidelity.
Board discussion did not include a formal vote on curriculum selection. Administrators said the literacy and math schedules and materials are already in use and that additional procurement or budgeting items would be brought separately if required.
(algebra 1) math with a standardized 100-minute math block in elementary grades.
District LSG representatives Rudy Palacios and Sean (last name given in the presentation) said the literacy initiative included focused professional development for teachers and principals, discontinuation of duplicative supplemental materials, and partnerships with TNTP, CREED and the Texas Reads/Maravillas initiative to support structured literacy. "We set a minimum of 120 minutes of instructional time for reading language arts," Palacios said during the presentation, adding that Wonders/Maravillas provides weekly oral fluency assessments that will be used as a quick check on progress and to trigger targeted small-group instruction.
The presenters gave a grade-by-grade summary: limited growth in some kindergarten measures; robust gains in first and second grade (district averages near 15 percentage points of growth in many targeted domains); and a reported 10 percentage-point gain in third-grade English from a prior baseline to 56% on-grade-level performance. In third-grade Spanish reading, officials said performance remained below target (21% reported in the presentation versus a 26% goal). Palacios and staff cautioned that changes in the number of students taking the Spanish assessment from year to year can make percentage comparisons look volatile when cohort sizes are small.
Trustees asked how the district is addressing fluency and comprehension. Palacios pointed to Wonders built-in weekly oral fluency measures and described a classroom routine where teachers use a 60-minute whole-group block, targeted two-week progress-monitoring cycles and daily personalized practice under an adaptive program. Bilingual coordinator Emily Aguirre said the district intentionally uses authentic Spanish material so that stories do not simply duplicate English selections; that design can complicate direct across-language comparisons but supports authentic biliteracy. "You can leverage the English story for an end-of-week comprehension check and use the Spanish text for language-specific skills," Aguirre said in response to a trustee question.
Administrators also described supports for secondary grades, where staff said implementation lagged last year. The district has partnered with CREED and TNTP to deliver secondary-level training on coherence and belonging and to expand principal coaching and PLC work. For grades 62, the district reported 45-minute literacy blocks and some early classroom use of My Perspectives (ELA) and other vetted materials; administrators said fuller fidelity and usage are still in development and that observation and coaching cycles are being expanded.
Board members pressed administrators for clarity about assessment practices and parent engagement. Administrators noted built-in weekly "letters to home" in the Wonders/Maravillas system and digital libraries (AR/MyOn) intended to support family practice. Trustees suggested additional parent tutorials and back-to-school sign-in sessions to ensure families can access the digital materials.
The district framed its next steps as strengthening fidelity through principal-led walkthroughs, deeper professional development in secondary grades, continued work with bilingual curriculum researchers and periodic public access to live data dashboards. Officials said they will return periodically with updated STAR/benchmarks, the weekly fluency results and evidence of classroom-level fidelity.
Board discussion did not include a formal vote on curriculum selection. Administrators said the literacy and math schedules and materials are already in use and that additional procurement or budgeting items would be brought separately if required.
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