RWHS: Vision, Voice, Community
Issue 3 | Red Wing High School | Principal Fuchs
How Teacher Collaboration Drives Literacy Growth
In our last issue, we pulled back the curtain on Capti, our state-required reading assessment aligned with Minnesota’s READ Act. We shared how this baseline data gives us a clear diagnostic snapshot of where our students excel and where they need targeted support.
Data alone, however, doesn't teach a child—great instruction does.
To ensure every minute in the classroom truly matters, our educators do not work in isolation. Every week during our dedicated Tuesday morning sessions, our teachers gather in Small Learning Teams (SLTs). Unlike traditional department meetings where math teachers only talk to math teachers, SLTs bring educators together across all subjects—from Biology and World History to Art and English.
Here is how our teachers are using these teams to turn reading data into everyday classroom strategies.
Our Focus: Vocabulary & Morphology Across the Curriculum
Based on our fall Capti diagnostic data, our district team is delivering mini-professional learning modules to all teachers focused on two high-impact areas:
Vocabulary in Context: Equipping students with tools to decode academic and technical vocabulary in every subject (e.g., analyzing a scientific term in Biology or primary source vocabulary in Social Studies).
Morphology (Word Structure): Teaching students how to break complex, unfamiliar words down into their root words, prefixes, and suffixes so they can unlock meaning independently.
The 5-Step Professional Learning Cycle
To ensure these strategies make a lasting impact in the classroom, our teachers participate in a continuous, multi-step learning loop:
1. Targeted Training ➜ 2. Collaborative Planning ⬆ ⬇ 5. Continuous Feedback ⬅ 4. Reflection & Data ⬅ 3. Classroom Action
Targeted Training: Teachers receive bite-sized, practical professional development and research-backed literacy resources.
Collaborative Planning: In their SLT groups, teachers discuss the strategies, share ideas, and adapt them for their specific subjects.
Classroom Implementation: Teachers put these new tools into practice directly in their daily instruction.
Data & Insight Sharing: Teachers return to their SLT meetings with real student work, sharing what worked, what didn't, and how students responded.
Continuous Feedback Loop: Teachers share feedback with leadership on what additional tools or training they need next as we build toward our mid-year goals.
Looking Ahead: Our Goals for Student Growth
Real growth takes consistency and time. By embedding these literacy strategies into every classroom period, our goal is not just incremental progress—we are aiming for higher-than-expected growth when students retake the Capti screener at the mid-point and end of the school year.
When teachers learn together, students thrive together. Thank you for partnering with us as we empower our educators and inspire our readers!
