MARSHALL — The Marshall Public School District offered updated reports discussing the progress of faculty trainings, events, grades and more to the school board on Monday. 

The state implemented the READ Act effective July 1, 2024, which ensures that every child in Minnesota reads at or above grade level each year, beginning in kindergarten. To do so, Marshall educators are participating in the Online Language and Literacy Academy (OL&LA) training currently in Phase 1.

OL&LA is a READ-Act funded program, which is additional training access provided to professional development staff that is approved by the Department of Education. 

“Our teachers in Phase 1 of the READ Act training are well on their way with their training this fall and are making great progress,” Superintendent Jeremy Williams said. “All our elementary teachers, academic support positions, K-12 SPED (special education) and reading specialists are working through the OL&LA training this year. Next year, 5-12 language arts teachers will be training on the Science of Reading as well.” 

Southview Elementary Principal Peter Thor said in his report to the board that his staff are well on their way to completing the nine modules required. 

“About 90% of our certified staff here at Southview are going through the OL&LA training,” Thor said. “Many of our teachers are doing a great job and have already completed the first three modules.” 

Park Side Elementary Principal Darci Love and Assistant Principal Tiffany Teske also reported their teachers are completing the training, but are so far finding what they are doing is consistent with what the training is teaching. 

In recent events for Fire Safety Week earlier this month, the Marshall Fire Department visited Park Side to teach preschoolers about fire safety and practiced a fire drill. The kindergartners in return visited the fire department for a field trip. 

Thor stated they have been doing High Five Fridays, where the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee brings in a local team to greet students into the building on the second Friday of every month. 

Peggy Reynolds of the middle school detailed her staff is working through the Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) training, which is an intervention program that uses data to identify student needs. 

“The BARR program has taken off successfully, with approximately 98% of our certified staff completing the training,” Reynolds said. “This program has allowed our students and teachers to be put into teams, providing common prep time for our teachers to meet and focus on their students’ strengths and needs. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the program’s impact on our school community.” 

Reynolds also mentioned all students in fifth to eighth grade participated in a bus safety training this month, to make sure the students understand bus behavior and safety. 

The high school report offered an update about where students are currently sitting grade-wise during this first semester. Teachers submit grades every three weeks to monitor progress and trends. 

For the senior class, there is a 9% increase in students currently passing from this time last school year. About 87% of 12th graders are passing, compared to last year’s 78%. 

The juniors are also up 3.5% sitting at 88.9% percent, and were at 85.5% percentage passing last October.  

Tenth graders are seeing a slight decrease at 81.75% of students passing, to last year’s 83%. The freshman class does not have comparable data since they are still adapting to the high school transition, but have a 78.5% passing rate currently. 

The high school also implemented Securlypass this month, an electronic hall pass system to replace handwritten passes. Students are given five passes a week, and the overall goal is to ensure safety and accountability by providing real-time data on where students are at or needing to be, and monitor hall traffic more effectively. 

Dan Hoffman, assistant principal for the Area Learning Center and Career and Technical Institute, said classes and operations are running smoothly at the new ALC location.  

Director of Special Education Jackie Budden gave an update on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Developmental Adaptive Physical Education (DAPE) services. 

There are currently 24 deaf and hard of hearing students. The Building Identity event held last April in Redwood Falls brought together more than 100 students from the region, 10 from Marshall, to connect with other students with hearing loss. Budden is still seeing outcomes from that event. 

“One student commented that they didn’t realize there were other students their age with hearing loss, and this student has now become more confident and willing to wear their hearing aids daily,” Budden said. “A student discovered that there are other students who share their same type of hearing loss. This is an empowering event for our students who have hearing loss.” 

There are 47 students in the district participating in DAPE services, which focuses on designing special instruction for students with physical or motor disabilities to participate in physical education.