LET'S TALK EARLY LITERACY
The state of Minnesota has enacted a new law effective for the 2020-21 school year requiring school districts to screen and identify K-12 students for “characteristics of dyslexia”. The mandate also requires school districts to communicate these findings to families, develop a plan to address students’ reading struggles, and report these efforts and the number of students identified as possessing “characteristics of dyslexia” to the state each year.
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) has presented data demonstrating that a near majority of K-2 students aren’t meeting grade-level literacy standards. (Source: 11/24/20 Committee of the Whole presentation by Dr. Amy Fearing) Our advocacy and organizing is aimed first and foremost at highlighting the state of emergency in MPS academics.
The development of literacy skills such as the ability to name letters and letter sounds are highly correlated with both later literacy and specific learning difficulties such as those falling under the umbrella of “dyslexia”. MPS data show that nearly 50% of K-2 students aren’t proficient in these foundational skills.
This website is dedicated to advocacy related to MPS academics,, including seeking to understand how MPS will implement the state’s new dyslexia screening requirement.
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A letter, signed by over sixty parents and community members, requesting specific information on MPS’ response to the new law, 20 testimonials sharing children’s literacy struggles in MPS, and an additional information packet bringing together a collection of articles and podcasts on literacy, current test scores, and a FastBridge breakdown of test subcomponents was sent to MPS Superintendent Graff, the MPS Cabinet as well the MPS School Board.
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Private testimonials were not included in this public website, if you would like to share a public testimonial to be published on this site, have a literacy advocacy question or observation you would like to share, please submit on the Contact page.
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MPS Board will be discussing early literacy at their December 2020 meeting.
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Below are three posts sharing our letter, MPS Assessment Data and MPS' response to our letter.
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-Sara Spafford Freeman & David Weingartner, MPS Parents
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