Then I go to Sandia. I have known Sandia when it was hedgehog. I think it was Hedgehog and then it became the Sidewinder and then it became the wolves. So I've I've watched them go through the transition. Um and so um watching how they're supporting uh their school and supporting their peers was excellent. And before I move into finishing Sandia, I want to thank you for this beautiful cup you gave us and u and the toys inside the inside the cup >> tools. Oh, okay. Um, whatever the reason is, this is going to be my favorite tool. Um, because I I you know, every so often when you need to reach that place that needs a real nice scratching, this is perfect. Thank you so much. I love all your tools. Um I would you know your March relay is one of those that I really look forward to um all every year you know because I I just want to see the students get out and get fresh air and that is fresh air lot there's lots happening at your school you are definitely creating amazing memories um that you will remember yesterday I I went to an event in Victorville and I met um three Sandia teachers who were teachers of my children and now it's you know one of them is in her 40s the other one is in late 30s and uh and their teachers still remembered me and it was strange that I also remember their names and their room number u so um thank you to those teachers who are helping these students to get to where they are right now because sometimes we miss that and and thank you to the parents who have helped them along the Okay, HDPA, where do I start?
All those in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries. J5. Miss Rey. >> Good evening, President Necronis, members of the board, Dr. Straer, senior staff, and guests. This evening, I'm bringing forward an agreement that I am asking your consideration for approval between our school district and the American Institutes for Research for a middle level literacy research study that would be implemented during the 2026 2027 school year. Um, as you know, our elementary literacy task force has been working hard on our elementary literacy uh supports and programming for grades K through six. This has spurred conversations of what happens if we have students new to the district and we have students who still exhibit gaps as they are leaving elementary school. And so we've been examining how can we ensure that we have multiple safety nets throughout our secondary grade levels to ensure that by the time our students leave our system, if they come to us and they still cannot read, how do we make sure that we're filling those gaps?
Uh, watching the joy on your faces was so warm to see. Um, I like to know why you were giggling because I was busy trying to giggle along, but I didn't know what I was giggling at. Um, but it is it's so tempting. Um, and it showed the joy that you bring to to your school and to your environment. And never stop giggling, never stop laughing. And that's one of the things I tell people, never stop laughing. Even when you when you don't find a reason to laugh, just laugh because it helps your heart. Um, and you guys uh did so well. Uh 98 out of 100 is pretty good. Whatever that number is, it is pretty good. It's hard to get there. Um thank you for the services of at the International Children's Day. I went by came by last year and I saw what you guys were doing and this year I'm hoping that I can make it uh because it's always good to be around children to surround yourself around children because they remind you of where you've been and they also remind you of some of the errors you've made in life and to help you to correct them before it's too late.
And so during the examination of our current practices and processes, um this research study and the opportunity to pilot uh the third quest in the Moran Unified School District next year came to our attention. And so Anora Publishing has a literacy text the or literacy program called the third quest for specifically sixth and seventh grade students in order to support um and it includes uh 75 lessons focused on evidence-based practices to support the development of comprehension decoding uh and reading text fluently as well as understanding vocabulary. We appreciated the approach that this particular program took because it helps students develop the background content knowledge needed for core content areas like science, history, and geography. And it also incorporates positive behavioral supports, something that our students are familiar with. And so Kora secured grant funding for the U from the US Department of Education to do a third-party research study that is being conducted from the by the American Institutes for Research to in to validate the very positive results they have seen with their programming.
Um because as you all know as you get older you begin to act more like a child. Um, so we need to be able to always remember that Granite Hills High School, um, I'm wishing all of you, uh, great state testing, um, and getting great results because, um, the state will measure you for things that we never even thought about and we hope that you will be calm enough to get to that to get the result. It's so much fun to listen as you show your excitement when you're reading the accomplishments of your peers. Um, those of you that are watching her from the back, you don't see it. But when she says something that the school has done, you hear her go, you know, there's that excitement in her voice. I I like that so much. Um, I I've never been to Powderpuff, even though my five children went to school in this district.
And so they would like to make sure that the results that they have identified as having significant s success rates in filling those knowledge and skill gaps of middle level learners um they want that those results validated by that third party. And so if we were to move forward with this agreement, we've identified eight schools that we would like to participate in this pilot. instructors. Um, school sites would have the opportunity of identifying how many instructors would be a part of this. It involves uh it would have 8 to 10 8 to 12 students per group and all of the materials would be provided for the study. Um, if folks if students were going to be participating, parents would sign active parent consent and all of the information all the personally identifiable information involving students would be deidentified. In fact, uh, the American Institutes for Research, their study team would actually come here to conduct all of the assessments with our students.
I I've never attended one, and I would like to attend, but I understand it happens way too early in the morning. >> Yeah. >> Um, you know, I'm retired. It's kind of hard to get up and >> It's a night thing now. Okay. Apple Valley High School had it very early in the morning. It's like I go to Okay, good. I'll be there. Um and and it's great because I want to see who really rules that sport because you're going to have seniors and juniors and you know juniors are much younger and they they might be able to do that do things that your your bone is now giving up. Um, Apple Valley High School. Uh, Effie. Oh, Effie. Um, I hate to see you go, but I also I'm glad that you're going. Uh, because the goal in life is for us to raise our kids and for them to leave home.
And so, the representatives of that study team would have full background checks and would be supervised by school staff during that time. And again, parents would be completely aware of all of the activities involving this study with their students. For the f first year of the eight schools, those eight schools would be placed in a lottery and only half of them would be selected. But then the following year, the remaining four schools would have access to the free training. And in fact, AIRIR um the American Institutes of Research pays for our folks to participate in that training. And then all of the technology that would be a part of the study and the materials for the two years would become district property. um and we could continue to use them and we could decide if it's something that we wanted to scale out to the other schools or if it's something that we would like to refrain from doing so.
Uh, and never forget what you've taught them. Um, so, um, I think, uh, Apple Valley High School and Apple Valley has taught you so much that I don't think you'll forget when you go to New York. It's a big city. Uh, you you continue to create great memories um, in this district or in this town and everybody all the way to San Bernardino, they know who you are. So I wish you all the very best and u before I go I I'm going to wish everybody a very happy and safe Easter. Thank you. >> All right, I'm going to start with Rancho Verie. Um Asencio, you did amazing. you are a natural leader, maybe a future teacher the way you were coaching and that was awesome. Thank you. and so many clubs. I do have to say um I got a chance to visit last week and see I know I was not >> We're gonna take a little break for a second.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. >> Can I get a motion? >> I move that the governing board approve the memorandum of understanding between Morirana Unified School District and the American Institutes for Research. >> Can I get a second? >> Second.
Okay, and we're back. I think this is a new record for breaks. Um, ranch free. I visited the music class and it was amazing. Um, they were doing something where like the kids picked different colored tubes and it lined up. It was like Guitar Hero to me. They like would have their two colors and they were different sh lengths so they made different sounds. And uh as it would like come up on the screen, the kids would like if it was their color that they had, then it was fantastic. I kind of wanted to stay and play. Um Sandy, I am so impressed with your TK reader. That is amazing. You like, are you gonna Maybe we should just graduate you next in May. Like I'm so impressed. That was great job. Um, hi Desert Premiere. I love that you guys sent students to the Labraa Tarpets.
>> Any questions or discussion? ask some questions. >> So um over the last so when did we implement our our read our literacy program? >> So the elementary task force first convened in the in J like after the winter benchmark in 2021 and then it took about a year to adopt and so we started it out in 2023 four four school year. Yes. >> Okay. Um, so since that time, how many students have we seen come into the district who fall into this category of, you know, not being, you know, literate at grade level? >> Oh man, I would say that I wish I had a number for you, but it is significant with the number of students who have not because a lot of other school districts did not engage in the literacy on the literacy journey that we did. And so we see those ever almost every student that we are seeing enrolling after the hundth day for sure.
I just took students to the Labraa Tarpets on St. Patrick's Day on a field trip. So, I I remember I still remember the smell. Did either of you go? >> Okay. Well, for those of us that have near the roads that keep getting refinished, it smelled just like that. U but it was amazing and I had a group of kids that were like typing on their their phone and like showing the question to the um scientists and then the scientists would like explain what they were doing and hold their phone up. It was it was really neat to see because they were really engaged. Um and then I also took my girls to the Museum of Tolerance over our break. So yeah, that was that was you guys from the last meeting. Um, Granite. I had a lot of fun visiting over there as well.
Um but this is why we had another call to action to look for some alternatives. I don't have a number but it is considerable. >> Okay. Um and I mean this question might be self-explanatory or rhetorical rather but um so so we didn't think about back when we were doing the literacy program we didn't think about you know new students who who may not be up to speed. No, we absolutely did, which is why we have already built into all of our bell schedules and master schedules intervention times all the way through um all the way through sixth grade so that students can work with small groups and reading specialists to get that small group support. When we transition into seventh grade, we don't have the literacy staff um that we do at the elementary level. And so a lot of the literacy supports are often embedded into other classes.
I got to see the prom dresses up on the stage. Um, I'll set up for the kids to check out. I love Powderpuff. So, if I can, I will be there tomorrow at at 6. Got it. Um, I did get to see some of your track team over spring break um at the Desert Christian Invitational out like in Palmdale. Um, they did great. There was a couple girls that um answered my questions frequently. I was very grateful for them. Um, and then Apple Valley High School. I just have to say the Twilight theme. I am an English teacher. This is the only time I'm gonna say this. The movie was better than the book. Yeah. So, hopefully the prom theme is like more towards the Yeah. So, all right. Well, thank you guys so much. I'm going to turn it over to Superintendent Nelson. I too am going to go in the order as the student spoke.
and it's not as comprehensive of an approach and we recognize that we need a more comprehensive approach to address the continued uh influx of students who are not reading at grade level at the middle level. >> Okay. So, so this thing, the paperwork here focuses on sixth and seventh grade, >> correct? >> But the way you're describing it, we're we're concerned about students seventh grade and beyond who enter the district. >> Correct. So why does this say we're going to focus we're going to evaluate the sixth and seventh graders as opposed to eighth and nth graders for example? >> It's a great question. Uh actually the third quest goes all the way through the nth grade but for the purposes of the study it is just for sixth and seventh and so we were going to pilot it to see if this is a resource that we feel is helpful to our students and easy to implement with it's implemented without um much challenge to our system.
So Arya, Oencio, Israel, Ozreel >> and Josiah. Um, amazing. Your school does incredible clubs, but you also talked about the academics that are going on and the experiences that you are having. Um, I'm I'm looking at you directly because in the between I did say you're amazing and um, your kindness showed through. So, while all of you did incredible jobs, I loved watching the older students um watching and supporting the younger students. So, Arya, you were out there doing it, too. And um I just so appreciate watching how they care for each other because that's something we can help for, but it it doesn't cost anything and we um really appreciate it when we see it in students. So, his response was what is typical of a student like that? I was raised well, right? giving credit to where the credit is and that's pretty incredible.
So that then we could absolutely scale this all the way through the ninth grade. >> So So if six so if students come in enter our district in sixth grade, they're still part of the literacy program. So So they would be benefiting from the supports that that you say already exist. >> Correct. So, so why are we I don't understand why those why why that that group of sixth graders since they're already getting help >> why they would be be part of this thing to get extra help. It's a great question and so one of the things that we appreciated when we reviewed the webinar of the third quest is oftentimes the materials themselves for intervention at the elementary level and even as you get up to upper elementary the materials themselves are very elementaryesque. One of the things that we saw was the increased motivation of middle-level learners because the books don't look like decoding books or decodables at the elementary level.
Um I'm looking forward to Arts Attack and the fact that you guys called out your um counselor, Miss Jenny, is pretty amazing, too. Um as we've added things, that's pretty good. Uh Sandia Academy, um Laniah has spent a lot of time with me today, although I was with high school students um in between. She was a student advisory this morning and um always does an amazing job. What you guys saw up there is not just um tonight, it's all the time. And so, um, Laniah and, um, Maddock and Elen and Laney and Reed Reed, I get to hang out with your brother sometimes. Who knew that I'm going to ask for for Reed to be on a student advisory someday? Pretty cool. Um, you're a reader and and we all think you probably can, um, take over the world at some point. You, too, young lady.
They look like middle school paperback books. And so there was an increased um students had a much more uh they were much more highly motivated to engage in texts that were on grade level content. uh and that also looked and um they responded much better in those preliminary studies. And that is something that if any way that we can motivate 12 and 13 year olds to help fill those literacy gaps. If it means having shifting some of our intervention practices at sixth grade, we want to do so before uh as we want every student on grade level every year, but certainly before they attend high school. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other questions or discussions? >> I have a question. My only question is uh is this the first year that this study has taken place? This joint effort to >> Yes.