--- ## author: Jesse Sierks date: D:20171017085700-05'00' --- ## Work Session Monday, June 8, 2026 5:00 PM ## ECC 350, 5701 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55424 ## I. Determination of Quorum and Call to Order ## II. Approval of Agenda ## School Board Work Session Monday, June 8, 2026; 5:00 PM ## ECC Room 350 and Virtual ## I. Determination of Quorum and Call to Order ## II. Approval of Agenda ## III. Discussion ## A. Tier I Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Update ## B. Culture and Climate Update ## C. Spanish Dual Language End-of-Year Program Update ## IV. Leadership and Committee Updates ## V. Superintendent Updates ## VI. Adjournment NOTE: School Board members may participate by interactive technology as permitted by Minnesota Statute 13D.02 ## III. Discussion III.A. Tier I Social Emotional Learning (SEL) ## Update ## Speaker(s): Nate ## Swenson, Assistant Superintendent; and ## Leigh Ann Feily, ## Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) ## Coordinator ## Board Workshop Date: June 8, 2026 ## Title: Tier 1 Social Emotional Learning Update ## Type: Discussion ## Presenter(s): Nate Swenson, Assistant Superintendent; and Leigh Ann Feily, MTSS ## Coordinator Description: This report will give an overview of the current status and future planning around Tier 1 Social Emotional Learning in Edina Public Schools. Tier 1 refers to the curriculum and experiences that every EPS student has access to; it is our universal programming. Social emotional learning is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions (definition from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning - CASEL). Recommendation: This report is intended to be an update to the school board. No recommendation is being made at this time. Desired Outcomes for the Board: Review the report, have questions prepared, and provide feedback on the key information presented. ## Background Materials: See report ## Slide Deck ## Background Information: Strategy C of the Edina Strategic Plan states that Edina Public Schools fosters a caring school environment where students and staff feel physically and emotionally safe in order to be fully engaged in their academic/professional, personal, and social growth. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an important part of ensuring that EPS is fostering a caring school environment. In the winter of 2024, Edina was awarded two grants to help support continuous improvement in this area. The first grant is the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Grant, which supports the district in the implementation of MnMTSS. MnMTSS is the state’s systemic, continuous improvement framework for ensuring positive social, emotional, behavioral, developmental, and academic outcomes for every student. The second grant is the Non-Exclusionary Discipline Grant. Funding from this grant supports the development and implementation of a professional learning plan for school staff to implement non-exclusionary discipline practices that maintain the respect, trust, and attention of students and help keep students in classrooms. Utilizing consistent, Tier 1 SEL practices and curricula fits within the broad umbrella of non-exclusionary practices. In the spring of 2024, a Tier 1 SEL Work Group was formed when grant funding became available. The Tier 1 SEL Work Group met for 32 hours throughout the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year to learn together, gather current reality information, and create recommendations for the implementation of SEL districtwide. As part of this work, the team developed the Edina SEL North Stars. These North Stars represent what Edina Public Schools will look like when SEL is implemented districtwide. These North Stars are the guide as we continue the SEL work: ● Universal language and expectations across all settings ● SEL is woven into academics and valued equally with academics ● Staff wellness interlaced with student SEL ● Each and every learner can identify a place in school where they belong ● Close gaps within our data ## Current Reality Following the conclusion of the Design Team work, implementation shifted to building administrative capacity. Through the Tier 1 SEL team process, the work group was asked to consider what barriers might be encountered through implementation of systemic Tier 1 SEL programming. One significant obstacle identified was the inconsistent understanding among all EPS staff regarding how their individual roles contribute to systemic SEL. To address this, the team recommended further training for all staff, including building leaders, on SEL best practices relevant to their specific roles. Moving forward on this recommendation, SEL professional development in 2025-2026 was focused on building-level leaders because they are in a position to cascade information to building teams. Building leaders are also in a position to design and modify systems and policies to create organizational alignment around SEL. This professional development came mainly through monthly instructional leadership meetings, but was also supported by monthly MTSS newsletters and tier 1 SEL curriculum support in buildings adopting the Character Strong curriculum. While all of the North Stars are important, the four North Stars that have been the central focus of our current work and the administrative professional development are: ## ● Universal Language Across All Settings ## ● Universal Expectations Across All Settings ● Each and Every Learner can Identify a Place in School where they Belong ● Staff Wellness interlaced with student SEL An update regarding our progress towards each of these North Stars is shared in the remainder of this report. ## Universal Language Across All Settings Student social-emotional learning at the tier one level is taking place at each building in Edina Public Schools to ensure building-wide universal language. Highlights of tier-one SEL practices across the district are presented in Table 1 below. ## Table 1: Tier 1 SEL Highlights for each EPS Building ## EPS School Tier 1 SEL Highlights ## Edina Early ## Learning Center ## The Edina Learning and Family Center (ELFC) is actively cultivating a culture of belonging by establishing a Universal Language and consistent Universal Expectations across all settings, ensuring each and every learner can identify a space where they belong. Throughout the 2025–2026 school year, the center focused heavily on Tier 1 supports by training all certified staff and paraprofessionals. The ELFC has a rich history of implementing Pyramid Framework. This past year, ELFC spent time blending the MnMTSS Early Childhood Education Playbook with "pyramid" language, aligning early childhood tiers with the K–12 MTSS framework. This innovative approach integrated evidence-based pyramid Tier 1 strategies with other empirically supported social-emotional curriculum. Training focused on ensuring that every adult in the building is equipped with the same proactive behavioral strategies. In addition, we implemented structured Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to foster data-driven staff collaboration. To help teams have flexibility in providing Tier 1 supports, additional frameworks were introduced including the Zones of Regulation, Spot of Emotion curriculum, and We Thinkers! This allowed staff the freedom to implement additional tier 1 strategies to help our littlest learners develop their SEL skills. Finally, we redesigned the Student Support Team (SST) so that we could streamline interventions for students in need of targeted assistance outside of Tier 1. ## Concord ## Elementary Utilizes Character Strong - please see description below ## Cornelia ## Elementary Utilizes Character Strong (starting 2026-27) - please see description below ## Countryside ## Elementary Utilizes Character Strong - please see description below ## Creek Valley ## Elementary ## Creek Valley Elementary has incorporated the Leader in Me program as part of its school-wide student engagement work since 2014. The Leader in Me is a school transformation process based on the work of Franklin Covey. Just as Covey developed a framework for adults (7 Habits of Highly Successful People), so too The Leader in Me has a framework for student development. The focus of the program is to teach students leadership and life skills (sometimes referred to as 21st Century skills) so as to create a culture throughout the school that builds on student empowerment and engagement. At the core of the program is the central belief that every child has the potential and ability to be a leader. The 7 Habits of the ## Leader in Me Program are: 1. Be proactive 2. Begin with the end in mind 3. Put first things first 4. Think win-win 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood 6. Synergize 7. Sharpen the saw 8. Bonus Habit #8 - Find your Voice Current CV 5th graders have had the opportunity to build upon their leadership skills since Kindergarten. With the Creek Valley school motto, “Go Out and Make A Difference”, this Leader in Me program has enhanced student leadership and sense of belonging both in and out of school. ## Highlands ## Elementary Utilizes Character Strong - please see description below ## Normandale ## Elementary ## Normandale uses Caring School Community, which staff members have translated into French. It comes from Collaborative Classroom, which was the previous EPS English language arts curriculum. SEL is incorporated into the schedule, and every classroom starts with a meeting that helps build community. Normandale has SEL Buddies between 1 st & 4 th grades, 3 rd & Kindergarten, and 5 th & 2 nd grades. They meet twice a month to work on different activities from the curriculum. Normandale also has a French SEL library to supplement our ## SEL curriculum. Kany Seck, Administrative Dean, puts the titles in a database with themes and synopses for easy use by teachers. ## Universal Language Across the ND Setting: ● Own it! Fix it! Move on! ● Les accords de l'école ● More-love students ● Common calls & responses ## Universal Expectations Across the ND Setting: ● Les accords de l'école: les couloirs, les toilettes, la cantine, la récré ● All teaching staff are trained in Responsive Classroom. All classrooms establish Hopes & Dreams and classroom agreements. ● Réunion du matin, réunion de l'après-midi, positive greetings at the door Each and Every Learner Can Identify a Place in School where ## They Belong: ● Teachers nominate students for the Dean's List ● Normandale's student leadership team- Les Ambassadeurs- is open to all 5th graders. This team leads school-wide assemblies and community service events. ● Normandale's weekly news show- L'Hebdo de Normandale- highlights activities at Normandale as well as Dean's List students. ● Monthly buddy activities. South View Universal SEL language across our setting is explicitly taught Middle School and supported during multiage advisory. Students receive SEL lessons during their daily Advisory time (right away in the morning). Students also participate in weekly Circles during their Advisory time. Advisory lessons and circles are created by teachers/leaders in the building, they include a weekly or monthly theme (such as compassion, identity, respect, etc) and are based on what needs we are seeing with students. In addition, we often use restorative circles in response to student behaviors or other needs. Through our survey in the fall, we work to ensure that students have a feeling of belonging, and if not, we will follow up as an advisor, counselor, or with empathy interviews to determine how we as a system can support learners. Any student may be invited to attend a social skills flex team taught by our social worker, counselor, and special education teacher. Students have access to student services at any time as needed for additional support. ## Valley View ## Middle School Utilizes Character Strong - please see description below Edina High School EHS has had the opportunity to “re-vamp” its advisory curriculum this year. A small team of teachers and administrators created the lessons, scope and sequence. Focus has been on academic, thinking, relationship, self-management, and future planning skills as well as community building within each advisory. Every week, students receive a grade-level-tailored, skill-based lesson in their 30-minute advisory. This in-house curriculum offers the opportunity for scaffolding as students progress through the grade levels. For example, the theme of relationship skills starts more basic in 9th grade and builds on itself through 12th grade. Advisors also loop with their students through the grade levels to support this scaffolding. Students have access to student support at any time, as needed, for additional support. Based on teacher feedback data, the successes of Advisory this year were the interactive games and community builders, the incorporation of the Zephyrus (EHS media) broadcast, and the opportunity for home-school collaboration around student progress. Continued areas of growth are around building buy-in from upperclassmen to attend and fully participate in advisory. ## Edina Virtual ## Pathway ## Edina Virtual Pathways (EVP) has expanded Social Emotional Learning (SEL) support and instruction through several key initiatives. First, we integrated all five CASEL core competencies into our advisory slides to deepen student understanding of these essential skills. Additionally, we transitioned to a learning format that features weekly synchronous lessons across the four core subjects. This structure facilitates daily check-ins, fosters small-group collaboration, and provides opportunities for real-time constructive reflection. To assist those requiring more intensive intervention, EVP has also increased one-on-one support from the school social worker. Furthermore, core subject teachers have established consistent expectations regarding grading, late work, and behavioral standards for synchronous sessions. Finally, EVP remains responsive to students' emotional well-being by implementing a mental health protocol designed to support disengaged students and their families through a comprehensive range of services. ## Character Strong Overview: Character Strong is a research-backed curriculum that increases belonging, well-being, and engagement for students and staff (characterstrong.com). The curriculum is created for tier one so that every student receives foundational SEL support. The elementary curriculum (being utilized at Countryside, Highlands, Concord, and Cornelia, starting 2026-2027) has grade-level-specific lessons and activities that are web-based and offer flexible delivery. The elementary curriculum is focused on three outcomes: Be Strong, Be Kind, and Be Well. Instruction centers around one character trait per month (see table 2 below) and the content is aligned with CASEL competencies. CASEL is the most recognized and nationally known organization advancing Social and Emotional Learning. Character Strong lessons are also vertically-aligned from PreK-5th grade to ensure students build skills effectively. The Character Strong secondary curriculum is also centered around the CASEL competencies (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, ## Social-Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision Making) with three major outcomes - Well Being, Belonging, and Engagement. Each year focuses on a different theme outlined in Table 3 below: ## Table 2: Scope and Sequence of Character Strong Elementary Curriculum ## Character Strong Outcome Traits within Outcome Be Kind: Social skills and conflict resolution Respect - September ## Empathy - October ## Cooperation - November Be Strong: Executive functioning - focusing, organizing, goal-setting ## Responsibility - December ## Perseverance - January ## Courage - February Be Well: Wellness strategies and emotion regulation ## Gratitude - March ## Honesty - April ## Creativity - May ## Table 3: Scope and Sequence of Character Strong Secondary Curriculum ## Grade Theme Lesson Areas of Focus 6th Grade Belonging: How can we create a place where everyone feels like they belong? ● Foundation - Setting the Stage ## for Community Building ● Values & Purpose ● Emotional Understanding and ## Regulation ● Empathy and Compassion ● Goals and Habits ● Leadership and Teamwork ● Reflections ## 7th Grade Well-Being: How do I develop personal well-being, and how does it affect my relationships with others? 8th Grade Engagement: How do we practice engaging meaningfully in our lives, or friendships, and in our schools? Character Strong is being implemented universally across all grade levels at Concord, Countryside, and Highlands Elementaries. Each building is finding success in its implementation, indicating the curriculum is easy to use and builds a universal language across the school. At Countryside Elementary, they are also utilizing the Tier 2 Character Strong resources to provide intervention support to students who need more focused skill-building in one of the areas. Tier 2 skill-building groups at Countryside are created through universal screening of students (utilizing Character Strong assessment materials) as well as through teacher recommendation. At Valley View Middle School, the Character Strong curriculum is utilized one time weekly as part of the advisory curriculum. New for the 2025-2026 school year, Highlands began conducting school-wide assemblies focused on the monthly character trait to support school-wide belonging. Concord grew their implementation to include the incorporation of the Character Strong traits into their morning announcements and guest read-alouds by the Assistant Principal of books coordinated with the monthly theme. Because they’ve been implementing longer, Countryside continued their dedicated use of Character Strong at both Tier 1 and Tier 2. For the 2026-2027 school year, Cornelia will be starting an initial implementation of Character Strong within kindergarten, first, fourth, and fifth grades. Implementation support (an overview session with the MTSS coordinator and building-sponsored 2 hours of work time) was provided to Cornelia this spring to help them prepare for the fall. ## Universal Expectations Across All Settings As mentioned above, EPS received two grants to support continuous improvement in the area of SEL. One of these grants was the Non-Exclusionary Discipline grant, which funded work between spring 2024 and spring 2025. While the Tier 1 SEL work group was one of the main outcomes of that grant, other work specific to discipline policies, procedures, and data collection has also been an area of focus to help bring universal expectations to all settings. This work has continued through another round of Non-Exclusionary Discipline (NED) grant funding, which became available in winter 2026 and will continue through spring 2027. One of the goals of the current NED grant funding is to develop consistency of culturally responsive disciplinary actions across all of our sites. Right now, our Black/African American students are over-represented in exclusionary discipline measures throughout the system. Initial actions to address this disparity include 1) providing professional development that grows our lens of cultural responsiveness to include disciplinary practices, and 2) expanding the range of non-exclusionary approaches available to staff when responding to behavior. Ongoing work will be around creating more clarity and cohesion around how sites enter behavior data into Infinite Campus, which will help each site and the district be able to better track, create proactive support structures, and understand where ongoing professional development is needed. This process has begun through collaboration between the MTSS coordinators and the special education behavioral specialist. Their work has focused on paring down and clearly defining the behavior response options that can be chosen when entering a behavior incident into Infinite Campus. Refinement and implementation of these behavior tracking systems will continue in the 2026-2027 school year. Another goal of the current NED grant funding is to establish an MTSS system for behavior that is as robust as our academic MTSS system. This work will be the ongoing focus of the 2026-2027 school year. Initial action steps will include developing and implementing a behavior response chart, which helps distinguish the roles of teachers and administrators related to behavioral restorative practices and skill-based behavioral interventions. There will also be continued emphasis on growing Tier 1 SEL implementations across the district. One action step that has already taken place is the requirement for building Continuous School Improvement Plans (C-SIP) to include goals related to student SEL and staff wellness. This consistent language and expectation will set the stage for continuous improvement around our MTSS behavior systems. Each and Every Learner Can Identify A Place In School Where They Belong Creating a sense of belonging is integral to achieving our mission of “creating a caring and inclusive school culture that supports the whole student.” The Panorama Belonging scores represent one of the higher areas of favorable response within our 3-5th grade students (75% favorable in 2026) and the area of most significant growth for our 6-12 grade students (up 8 points from 59% in 2025 to 67% in 2026). These data points show that EPS is committed to supporting student belonging and is having success in achieving this. One component of this success is the continued focus on district-wide implementation of Cultural Proficient School Systems (CPSS). CPSS is an equity-based professional learning framework that ensures high-quality teaching and learning experiences for all learners while closing access and achievement gaps within a system. Beginning with inside-out work (self-reflection), CPSS is grounded in four tools: ● The Barriers — help us identify systems and provide language to discuss barriers that get in the way of change, such as resistance or discomfort with doing things differently. ● The Guiding Principles — Core values reminding us that every culture matters and every student deserves to be seen. ● The Continuum — Gives us language to talk about where we are in our growth. ● The Essential Elements — Five actions to measure progress: learning about cultures, valuing differences, adapting to diversity, navigating cultural dynamics, and building inclusive policies. District-wide implementation of CPSS has been supported through professional development modules delivered to all staff. These modules are co-created by the Director of Achievement Equity and Multilingual Learning and a team of teacher representatives from each building. These modules have taken place on a monthly/bi-monthly basis for the duration of the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school year and will continue for 2026-2027. More information about each module is provided in Table 5 below. ## Table 5: CPSS Module Overview 2024-2026 ## Module Focus & Core Concepts Key Learning Outcome ## 1: Key Definitions & Terms (Spring 2025) ## ● Inside-Out Approach: Personal self-reflection on identity. ## ● Four Tools: Barriers, ## Guiding Principles, Continuum, and Essential Elements. Establish a foundational language for equity work and proactive system design. ## Module Focus & Core Concepts Key Learning Outcome ## 2: Race, Culture, & Ethnicity (Spring 2025) ## ● Defining Culture: The "complex whole" of beliefs and habits. ## ● Distinction: Separating material vs. non-material culture and race vs. ethnicity. Clarify terminology to better support equitable policies and practices. ## 3: Dilts’ Levels of Change (Fall 2025) ## ● Logical Levels: ## Environment, Behavior, ## Capabilities, Beliefs, Identity, and Purpose. ## ● Hierarchy: Changes flow downward from higher levels. Understand that sustainable transformation requires intervention at the Identity and Purpose levels. ## 4: The Lanterns We Carry (Fall 2025) ## ● Colored Lanterns: Unconscious biases (heritage, class, geography, skin color). ## ● Daily Practices: Asset ## Scans and Curiosity Questions. Recognize how social constructs shape perceptions and commit to asset-based thinking. ## 5: Educator Toolkit introduction; Assessing cultural Knowledge (Winter 2026) ## ● Assessing Cultural ## Knowledge: Moving beyond assumptions to real student demographics. ## ● Cultural Audit: Assessing classroom environment and curriculum reflection. Use concrete indicators to evaluate how well students' identities are represented in instruction. ## 6: Educator Toolkit: Valuing ## Diversity (Spring 2026) ● Inclusion as Practice: Moving diversity from a "supplemental lesson" to an ongoing practice. ● Voices & Perspectives: Incorporating diverse histories and Deepen student learning by ensuring their identities are consistently reflected and valued in the curriculum. ## Module Focus & Core Concepts Key Learning Outcome experiences in all content. ● Letter to Self: Reflecting on the year and committing to growth for the next year. Implementation of CPSS supports belonging because when a student feels seen and affirmed, their belonging deepens. Additionally, there are direct parallels between the Essential Elements of CPSS and the 5 Core CASEL SEL competencies. By engaging in CPSS work, EPS is strengthening its systemic SEL implementation and vice versa. This connection is illustrated in Figure 1 below: Figure 1: SEL and CPSS: Two Sides of the Same Coin In addition to the district-wide implementation of CPSS, each building has also been engaging in intentional practices to grow students’ sense of belonging. Highlights of these practices are shared in Table 6 below. ## Table 6: Building-Level Sense of Belonging Intentional Practices ## EPS School Building-Level Sense of Belonging Intentional Practices ## Edina Early ## Learning Center ● Student spirit weeks ● Middle and high school buddies program ● I Love to Read Month activities (guest readers, PJ day, dress like a book character, etc.) ## Concord ## Elementary ● Reboot of classroom buddies ● More frequent teacher check-ins regarding feeling respected by peers (response to Panorama data) ● Working with PTO to maintain routines at the end of the year so that all students (including those who have anxiety around endings) feel supported ## Cornelia ## Elementary ● Reading buddies ● SEL-focused assemblies ● Student highlights in the school news show ## Countryside ## Elementary ● Morning video news that brings all of Countryside together with a single message ● Students, teachers, and classes highlighted in the building news ● Unified activities for all students, including those students who access special education services in site-based classrooms ## Creek Valley ## Elementary ● Monthly school-wide Leader in Me assemblies ● Daily SEL Leader in Me morning meetings ● Monthly classroom buddy activities ## Highlands ## Elementary ● Monthly all-school meetings led by students ● Anti-bullying run/walk ● Super Fun Kids Day (4th-5th grade leaders connecting with K-2 students) ## Normandale ## Elementary ● Teacher nomination of students to the Dean’s list ● Buddy activities ● 5th-grade ambassadors (assemblies, community service, school news show) ## South View ## Middle School ● Co-designed circles sharing about heritage months each month ● Belonging flexes - students choose their flex based on their interest (i.e., Swifties with artwork, preschool buddies, bedazzling, games) ● Culture Celebrations Week - inviting community members in to host flexes that celebrate the culture through art, food, dance, and more ## Valley View ## Middle School ● Students co-design belonging clubs, which take place twice a year ● The Polar Plunge event is the culminating component ## of Inclusion Week ● VIBE K community race (which doubled in participation this year!) Edina High School ● The student council designed activities for student engagement and wellness throughout the year ● Spirit weeks seasonally ● Unified week ## Edina Virtual ## Pathway ● Sending birthday messages to all students ● Incorporating social-emotional learning, including wellness check-ins, into advisory ● Addition of live synchronous meets to enhance relationship-building between students and staff ## Staff Wellness Interlaced with Student SEL Employees representing teachers, coordinators, administrative assistants, Edina Education Fund, and district office team members make up the Edina Employee Wellness Team. Instead of monthly team meetings this year, a significant portion of the group participated in Supporting Staff Wellbeing, a year-long monthly series offered by the Minnesota Department of Education. Through this series, the team explored current research, strategies, and resources for educator wellbeing, and benchmarked Edina's organizational structure to identify both strengths and opportunities for growth. In addition to the MDE series, the team contributed monthly articles to The Buzz newsletter, with content this year spotlighting real-world implementation examples of the Working Genius assessment tool from school sites and departments across the district, bringing to life the district-wide adoption launched at the start of the 2025–2026 school year. The team also continued adding content to the employee website and engaging with Panorama and Employee Engagement data to inform ongoing wellness priorities. ## Next Steps: While next steps for Tier 1 SEL are shared throughout this report, the following list summarizes those steps altogether: ● Continued support of Tier 1 SEL curriculum initiatives. ● Providing professional development to grow the lens of cultural responsiveness to include our discipline procedures. ● Creating more clarity and cohesion around how sites enter behavior data into Infinite Campus to help schools and the district be able to better track, create proactive support structures, and understand where ongoing professional development is needed. ● Developing and implementing a behavior response chart that helps distinguish the roles of teachers and administrators related to behavioral restorative practices and skill-based behavioral interventions. ● Continued focus on district-wide implementation of Cultural Proficient School Systems (CPSS) through the continued development of professional development modules and continued integration of CPSS with other initiatives. ● Continuing building-level intentional practices to grow students’ sense of belonging, rooted in analysis of Panorama data. ● Continue the expectation of CSIPs, including student SEL and staff wellness goals. ● Developing a cohesive plan to continue to foster staff wellbeing based on the current research, strategies, and resources provided by the year-long monthly series offered by the Minnesota Department of Education. ● Utilize the 2026-2027 school year as an exploration year to determine what social-emotional data is helpful to gather as we grow our systemic SEL implementations. This will include an in-depth analysis of the Panorama tool as well as other potential screening tools. 2026 Tier 1 SEL ## Update ## Today’s Agenda/Topics 1Background Information 2Current Reality ## 3Universal Language Across All Settings ## 4Universal Expectations Across All Settings 5Each and Every Learner Can Identify a Place in School Where They ## Belong ## 6Staff Wellness Interlaced with Student SEL - Transition to ## Culture/Climate Report ## Background Information ## Strategy C of the Edina Strategic Plan states that Edina Public Schools fosters a caring school environment where students and staff feel physically and emotionally safe in order to be fully engaged in their academic/professional, personal, and social growth. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an important part of ensuring that EPS is fostering that caring school environment. ## Background Information ## MnMTSS Grant First round funded work 2024 - 2026 ## Hired second MTSS Coordinator providing more opportunity for focused SEL work and leadership ## NED Grant First round funded work spring 2024 through fall 2025 Goal to expand Tier 1 SEL implementation ## Tier 1 SEL Team Met 32 hours throughout 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years Learn together, gather current reality, create recommendations ## Creation of SEL North Stars ## Staff Wellness Interlaced ## with Student SEL ## Universal Language ## Across All Settings ## SEL Woven into ## Academics and Valued ## Equally with Academics ## Each and Every Learner ## Can Identify a Place in ## School Where They Belong ## Close Gaps Within our Data ## Edina SEL ## North Stars ## Current Reality ## Tier 1 Implementations: EC-5 ## SchoolTier 1 SEL ## ELFCZones of Regulation, Spot of Emotion, We Thinkers! (1st year) ConcordCharacter Strong (3rd year implementation) CorneliaCharacter Strong (starting 2026-2027) CountrysideCharacter Strong (4th year implementation) Creek ValleyLeader in Me (12th year of implementation) HighlandsCharacter Strong (3rd year implementation) NormandaleCaring School Community (6th year implementation) Tier 1 Implementations: 6-12 ## SchoolTier 1 SEL ## SVMSMulti-Age Advisory, In-House Curriculum with monthly themes such as Compassion, Identity, and Respect ## VVMSCharacter Strong through Advisory EHSIn-House Advisory Curriculum focused on the following skills: ●Academic ●Thinking ●Relationships ●Self-Management ●Future Planning EVPIncorporation of CASEL 5 into Advisory, Synchronous lessons, ## Implementation of a Mental Health Protocol ## Universal Expectations ## Across Settings ## Non-Exclusionary Discipline Grant Work ## CPSS and Discipline ●Over-representation of our students of color ●PD to grow our CPSS lens to disciplinary practices ●Expand range of non-exclusionary approaches available to staff ## Behavior Data ●Clarity and cohesion - better tracking to create proactive support structures and identify PD needs ●Implementation in 2026-2027 ## MTSS for Behavior ●Develop behavior response chart - what is teacher managed, what is office managed ●Grow Tier 1 SEL implementations ●CSIP plans include student SEL and staff wellness ## Each and Every Learner Can ## Identify a Place in School ## Where They Belong Creating a sense of belonging is integral to achieving our mission of “creating a caring and inclusive school culture that supports the whole student.” The Panorama Belonging scores represent one of the higher areas of favorable response within our 3-5th grade students (75% favorable in 2026) and the area of most significant growth for our 6-12 grade students (up 8 points from 59% in 2025 to 67% in 2026). These data points show that EPS is committed to supporting student belonging and is having success in achieving this. Implementation of CPSS supports belonging because when a student feels seen and affirmed their belonging deepens. Additionally, there are direct parallels between the Essential Elements of CPSS and the 5 Core CASEL SEL competencies. By engaging in CPSS work, EPS is strengthening its systemic SEL implementation and vice-versa. ## CPSS and Belonging ## The Barriers Help us identify and provide language to discuss barriers that get in the way of change, such as resistance or discomfort with doing things differently ## The Guiding Principles Core values reminding us that every culture matters and every student deserves to be seen. ## The Essential Elements Five actions to measure progress: learning about cultures, valuing differences, adapting to diversity, navigating cultural dynamics, and building inclusive policies. ## The Continuum Gives us language to talk about where we are in our growth. ## THE CONNECTION ## SEL and CPSS: Two Sides of the Same Coin ## Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) ## Self-Awareness Recognizing one's own emotions, values, and identity ## Self-Management Regulating emotions and behaviors to achieve goals ## Social Awareness Understanding others' perspectives and backgrounds ## Relationship Skills Communicating and collaborating across difference ## Responsible Decision-Making Making ethical, constructive choices ↔ affirm each other ## CPSS Essential Elements ## Assessing Cultural Knowledge Learning about self and others' cultural identities ## Valuing Diversity Incorporating multiple perspectives and voices ## Adapting to Diversity Integrating cultural knowledge into instruction ## Managing the Dynamics of Difference Facilitating productive dialogue across difference ## Institutionalizing Cultural Knowledge Embedding culturally responsive values in systems ## CPSS Modules: 2024-2026 ## ModuleKey Learning Outcome Key Definitions and TermsEstablish a foundational language for equity work and proactive system design. Race, Culture, & EthnicityClarify terminology to better support equitable policies and practices. Dilts’ Levels of ChangeUnderstand that sustainable transformation requires intervention at the Identity and Purpose levels. The Lanterns We CarryRecognize how social constructs shape perceptions and commit to asset-based thinking. ## Educator Toolkit introduction; Assessing cultural Knowledge Use concrete indicators to evaluate how well students' identities are represented in instruction. ## Educator Toolkit: Valuing ## Diversity Deepen student learning by ensuring their identities are consistently reflected and valued in the curriculum. ## Staff Wellness Interlaced with Student SEL - More to Come! Questions? Thank you! ## Leigh Ann Feily leighann.feily@edinaschools.org ## III.B. Culture and Climate UpdateSpeaker(s): Nate ## Swenson, Assistant ## Superintendent; Leigh ## Ann Feily, Multi- ## Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) ## Coordinator; Sonya ## Sailer, Executive ## Director of Human Resources; and Dr. ## Anne Marie Leland, ## Director of Community Education and ## Strategic ## Partnerships ## Board Meeting Date: June 8, 2026 ## Title: Culture and Climate Board Update ## Type: Discussion ## Presenter(s): Nate Swenson, Assistant Superintendent; Leigh Ann Feily, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Coordinator; Sonya Sailer, Executive Director of Human Resources; and Dr. Anne Marie Leland, Director of Community Education and ## Strategic Partnerships ## Description: Edina Public Schools' commitment to social and emotional learning (SEL) provides Tier 1 support to every student and is foundational to the academic, behavioral, and well-being outcomes we aim to advance districtwide. That commitment is reflected in our Strategic Plan. Strategy B calls for an equitable and inclusive school culture, and Strategy C calls for a caring, safe environment that supports the growth of students and staff. To gauge our progress this year, we administered three surveys: the Panorama survey to students and licensed staff, and the Employee Engagement survey to all staff. Together, these offered a window into the teaching and learning environment and into overall staff engagement and satisfaction. The report that follows shares survey background, participation rates, data summaries, analysis, and recommended next steps. Recommendation: This item has been prepared for Board discussion. Desired Outcome(s) from the Board: Please bring forth questions you have for the presenters. ## Attachment(s): See report ## Slide Deck Presentation ## Detailed Report ## Executive Summary: Culture and Climate Update Edina Public Schools supports students and staff in many ways. For students, social and emotional learning is a key Tier 1 foundation, a universal support woven into the experience of every learner. For staff, our wellness efforts serve a parallel role, sustaining the well-being of the adults who make that learning possible. Our Strategic Plan names these commitments specifically: Strategy B calls for an equitable and inclusive culture, and Strategy C calls for a caring, safe environment for students and staff. To understand where we stand, we administered three surveys this year: the Panorama student survey, the Panorama educator survey, and the Employee Engagement survey, reaching all employee groups. We use the results to set building-level goals through each school's Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and to guide district-wide work. This year we are anchoring our reporting on percent favorable, the share of students and staff responding positively, drawn directly from our own community, rather than on national percentile ranks; recent changes to Panorama's national benchmarks mean those ranks are no longer comparable across years. These results carry added weight given the period in which they were gathered. Our spring 2026 administration followed Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement operation across the Twin Cities metropolitan area from December 2025 through February 2026, which had real effects on our own community and fell especially hard on our immigrant and refugee families and our communities of color. Students and staff completed these surveys still carrying the weight of that period. That favorability held strong under those circumstances speaks to the relationships, trust, and sense of belonging our schools work every day to sustain. What the data shows. The picture is a strong one overall, with clear areas to keep working. Among secondary students, every measured area grew or held steady, with notable gains in engagement and sense of belonging and supportive relationships remaining our highest outcome. Among elementary students, supportive relationships and belonging stayed strong, while positive feelings, challenging feelings, and engagement saw modest but meaningful declines that we are watching closely. Staff climate held steady after climbing substantially over recent years, and educators report deep purpose in their work, with nearly all saying their work matters to them. Across all employee groups, engagement is anchored by strong teamwork, role clarity, and a sense of being cared for, alongside strong survey participation. Where we are focusing. Two themes guide our continued work. First, secondary engagement, while improved, remains our lowest student outcome and is a sustained focus, with attention to the sub-areas driving it. Second, our data continues to show disparities for students of color across several measures, even as some student groups outperform district averages in areas like engagement; addressing these equity gaps and bringing more equitable experiences to all Edina students is central to our Strategy B commitment. For staff, we are responding to early signs of initiative fatigue by examining the pace of new initiatives and leaning into belonging as our strongest lever, while continuing to strengthen feedback and recognition practices. Looking ahead. This year's data is genuinely valuable. It gives us a clear, current picture of our students' and staff's experience, and it directly drives the building-level action where our accountability lives. We are mindful that comparing across years is limited right now as recent benchmark changes and Panorama's planned revision of several survey items next year mean neither this year's nor next year's results will serve as a clean year-over-year comparison. Rather than diminishing the data's worth, this gives us a well-timed opportunity to reassess in the year ahead whether our culture and climate tools, and the information we collect, are tightly aligned with our Strategic Plan. Our focus remains on acting on what the data tells us now. June 8, 2026 ## Culture & Climate ## Board Report ## Topics ## 1Panorama Student Survey ## 2Panorama Educator Survey ## 3Employee Engagement Survey 4Wellness Team 5Questions ## Panorama ## Survey ## Background on Panorama Survey ●Sixth year of Edina's Panorama partnership for student and staff surveys. ●Aligned with mission and vision and helps determine district-wide needs ●Anchored this year on percent favorable (our own community's responses); national percentile ranks excluded this year due to Panorama's 2025 benchmark refresh ●Panorama is revising several survey items next year, so neither this year's nor next year's data will serve as clean year-over-year comparison ## Who Completed the Panorama Survey *Percentages reflect percent of enrolled students or employed licensed staff ## Grades 3-5 Grades 6-12Total ## Student Competency and ## Well-Being ## Measures 92%63%72% ## Student Supports + Environment 92%64%72% ## Educator Climate, Belonging, and ## Well-Being ## NANA81% ## Panorama Student Survey ## Results Favorable response is the percentage of respondents selecting the top two Likert scale options. What was Measured? (Students) ●Challenging feelings ●Emotional regulation ●Supportive Relationships ●Engagement ●Belonging ## Student Climate Analysis ●The survey data reveals strong performance in emotional well-being and relationship areas. Supportive Relationships, ## Challenging Feelings, and Emotion Regulation demonstrate exceptional strength across both grade bands. ●Sense of Belonging shows notable improvement in Grades 6-12, with an 8-point increase. ●Engagement presents a significant opportunity for improvement, particularly in Grades 6-12. While younger students (Grades 3-5) show moderate engagement, both grade levels demonstrate low scores in specific engagement behaviors, with several questions scoring below 35%. ## Student Climate Analysis ●The contrast between strong emotional support systems and lower engagement levels suggests potential for leveraging existing relationship strengths to enhance student investment in learning. ●Additionally, demographic disparities exist with students of color reporting lower favorable scores on many areas presenting an opportunity for growth. ●Given the context of Operation Metro Surge this school year, making the continued strength in Supportive Relationships an especially meaningful resilience factor. Student Data: How is EPS Responding to this Data? ●Continued support of Tier 1 SEL curriculum initiatives. ●Providing professional development to grow the lens of cultural responsiveness to include our discipline procedures. ●Continued focus on district-wide implementation of ## Cultural Proficient School Systems (CPSS) through the continued development of professional development modules and continued integration of CPSS with other initiatives. ●Continue building-level intentional practices to grow students’ sense of belonging rooted in analysis of Panorama data. ## Panorama Staff Survey ## Results Favorable response is the percentage of respondents selecting the top two Likert scale options. What was Measured? (Staff) School ClimatePerceptions of the overall social and learning climate of the school. BelongingHow much faculty and staff feel that they are valued members of the school community. Well-BeingStaff perceptions of their own professional well-being. ## Positive Trends and Strengths ●Staff participation rate remains strong, reflecting sustained engagement in the survey process. ●Looking longitudinally, School Climate has improved 22 percentage points since 2022 (40% → 62%) ●Staff find deep meaning in their work, with 96% reporting their work matters to them and 93% finding it meaningful, suggesting strong intrinsic motivation and purpose alignment. ●Despite the climate created by Operation Metro Surge, it is a testament to the resilience of our teachers that our scores maintained their level of favorability from last school year on all three areas surveyed. ## Opportunities for Improvement ●Within School Climate, analysis of sub items indicates that: ○Support for new initiatives declined 5 points to 36% (one of the lowest scores across all measures), and ○Colleague positivity dropped 4 points to 52%. ●These two indicators indicate that staff are feeling initiative fatigue which may be affecting their overall positivity. ●Well-Being, though stable, remains at 68% favorable. Further analysis indicates the following areas for improvement within this scale: ○The question, “During the past week, how often did you feel overwhelmed at work” declined by 2 points from an overall favorable score of 26% only 24% ○The question, “During the past week, how often did you feel exhausted at work?” declined by 2 points from an overall favorable score of 16% to 14%. ## Staff Climate Analysis Taken together, the analysis of this data indicates that in order to make continued gains in the areas of staff well-being and overall school climate, we should consider taking inventory of the amount of new initiatives being put into place. While state mandates dictate almost all of these initiatives, we should consider what factors for support are within our control to ensure that staff feel that they have the resources necessary to implement new initiatives with confidence and fidelity. Additionally, continuing to create belonging within the work setting should be the strength we lean into in order to support the culture and well-being of our staff. ## Our Response: Districtwide SEL ## Continued Districtwide SEL Implementation ●Creating more clarity and cohesion around how sites enter behavior data into Infinite Campus to help schools and the district be able to better track, create proactive support structures, and understand where ongoing professional development is needed. ●Developing and implementing a behavior response chart which helps distinguish the roles of teachers and administrators related to behavioral restorative practices and skill-based behavioral interventions. ●Continue the expectation of CSIPs including student SEL and staff wellness goals. ●Developing a cohesive plan to continue to foster staff wellbeing based on the current research, strategies, and resources provided by the year-long monthly series offered by the Minnesota Department of Education. ## Employee ## Engagement ## Survey ## Purpose and Background Information ●Employee Engagement Survey is made available to every EPS employee to gather meaningful insights into their experiences and perceptions and inform efforts to enhance the workplace environment. ●A total of 1,109 employees participated in the Fall 2025 survey with representation from every employee group, which is approximately 76% of the school district’s regular employees. ●14 research-based Employee Engagement survey questions. ●Target benchmark of 80% Strongly Agree/Agree is intentionally ambitious and based on Gallup’s 2026 finding that 31% of U.S. employees are actively engaged in their work, 51% are not engaged, and 18% are actively disengaged. ## Positive Trends and Strengths ●Teamwork and Collaboration: Scores remain consistently high, indicating employees genuinely enjoy working with their teams and value the collaborative culture. ●Clarity of Expectations: Employees continue to report a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities, reflecting clear and consistent expectations. ●Supportive Workplace Environment: High levels of agreement suggest employees feel supported and cared for within the school district. ●Sharing Expertise and Peer Learning: Positive growth over time demonstrates increasing collaboration and a strong culture of shared learning among colleagues. ●Use of Individual Strengths: Continued improvement indicates employees increasingly feel able to apply their skills and strengths effectively in their work. ●Commitment to Excellence: Employees continue to view their colleagues as committed to doing high-quality work, reinforcing a strong culture of professionalism and excellence. ## Opportunities for Improvement ●Feedback and Progress Conversations: While 64% of employees reported having discussions about their progress, an increase of 6 percentage points from last year, strengthening feedback processes and increasing the frequency of meaningful progress conversations remains an important area of focus. ●Recognition: Recognition scores continue to improve as the school district provides more consistent acknowledgment of employee contributions; however, there remains an opportunity to further strengthen intentional appreciation practices. ## Our Response: Building Community ## Building Community ●The district fosters a strong sense of community and belonging through intentional recognition and connection opportunities, including The Buzz employee newsletter, staff spotlights, appreciation events, Hornet of the Year celebrations, and districtwide traditions like the annual “Green Out.” ●Buildings and departments strengthen collaboration and employee voice by promoting shared leadership structures, team-based decision-making, onboarding check-ins, and relationship-centered practices that help employees feel welcomed, supported, and connected. ●EPS continues to invest in a positive workplace culture through wellness resources and professional learning opportunities such as Working Genius and Top 20 training, which have enhanced trust, teamwork, engagement, and overall staff satisfaction across the district. ## Our Response: Recognition and Feedback ## Recognition and Feedback from Supervisors and Colleagues ●Employee voice is reinforced through engagement surveys, collaborative committees and action teams, leadership groups, and shared decision-making structures aligned to school and department improvement goals, ensuring staff input is embedded in operations. ●New employees receive 30-day supervisor check-ins and supportive onboarding experiences. This focus on relational leadership directly strengthens early connection through intentional follow-up and meaningful recognition practices. ●Leaders are trained in trust-building and recognition practices, strengthening early connection, communication, and retention. ## Employee Wellness Team ## Employee Wellness Team ●Multi-stakeholder participation in MDE’s Supporting Staff Wellbeing series provided context for planning the focus for 2026-2027: ○Staff resilience ○Gratitude ○Perspective on education as a career ●Continued Buzz articles focused on local implementation of Working Genius, balanced with time of year tips for stress reduction and resiliency building ●Maintained and added content to employee website Questions? The Culture and Climate Board Update report includes the following sections: ## ● Background Information ## ● Panorama Student Survey Questions ## ● Panorama Student Survey Participation ## ● Panorama Student Survey Longitudinal Results ## ● Student Survey Key Take-Aways: Positive Trends and Strengths and ## Opportunities for Improvement ## ● Panorama Educator Survey Questions ## ● Panorama Educator Survey Participation ## ● Panorama Educator Survey Longitudinal Results ● Panorama Educator Data Key Takeaways: Positive Trends and Strengths and ## Opportunities for Improvement ## ● Employee Engagement Survey Background Information ## ● Employee Engagement Questions ## ● Employee Engagement Supporting Research ## ● Employee Engagement Survey Participation Information ## ● Employee Engagement Findings: Positive Trends and Strengths and ## Opportunities for Improvement ## ● Employee Wellness Committee ● References ## Background Information: The strategic action under C5 of Edina’s Strategic Plan states that we will create environments that are conducive to learning and facilitate constructive student interaction. Strategy B2 states that Edina Public Schools will create a school culture that enhances learning and fosters a sense of belonging for all students through our values of integrity, compassion, courage, commitment, appreciation, and responsibility. Data is needed to monitor the degree to which our culture creates a sense of belonging for students and staff, is a place where people can do their best work, and feel supported. The Panorama Climate and Wellness survey for students and staff was used to assess the current state of the Teaching and Learning climate in our schools. The Employee Engagement survey was used to generate feedback on the degree to which staff feel engaged in their work, connected to others at work, supported in their professional learning and growth, and motivated to do their best work. The data is used each following year to set goals and establish action plans to monitor progress towards meeting goals and shift plans as needed. ## Panorama Student Survey: Edina Public Schools is in its sixth year of partnering with Panorama Education to administer a student survey. National norms are provided in the data analysis to help understand the context of the data and provide insights for what is going well and where opportunities for improvement exist. Site and district leadership teams use the data to understand the needs of students, set goals, and create action steps for improvement. The annual monitoring provides feedback on the impact of the action steps. The specific questions on the student survey are listed in Table 1 below. ## Table 1: Student Survey Questions ## Topic Area: Questions: Challenging Feelings: how frequently students feel challenging emotions, with higher scores indicating less frequent challenging emotions. 1. During the past week, how often did you feel mad/angry? 2. During the past week, how often did you feel lonely? 3. During the past week, how often did you feel sad? 4. During the past week, how often did you feel worried? 5. During the past week, how often did you feel frustrated? (6-12 only) 6. Thinking about everything in your life right now, what feels the hardest to you. ## Emotional Regulation: How well students regulate their emotions. Grades 3-5 1. How often are you able to pull yourself out of a bad mood? 2. When everybody around you gets angry, how relaxed can you stay? 3. How often are you able to control your emotions when you need to? 4. Once you get upset, how often can you get yourself to relax? 5. When things go wrong for you, how calm are you able to stay? Grades 6-12 1. When you are feeling pressured, how easily can you stay in control? 2. How often are you able to pull yourself out of a bad mood? 3. When everybody around you gets angry, how relaxed can you stay? 4. How often are you able to control your emotions when you need to? 5. Once you get upset, how often can you get yourself to relax? 6. When things go wrong for you, how calm are you able to remain? ## Positive Feelings: How frequently students feel positive emotions over time 1. During the past week, how often did you feel excited? 2. During the past week, how often did you feel happy? 3. During the past week, how often did you feel loved? 4. During the past week, how often did you feel safe?* 5. During the past week, how often did you feel hopeful? (6-12 only) 6. Thinking about everything in your life right now, what makes you feel the happiest? *Students who indicate they do not feel safe receive a follow up from a student support staff member ## Supportive Relationships: How supported students feel through their relationships with friends, family, and adults at school 1. Do you have a teacher or other adult from school who you can count on to help you, no matter what? 2. Do you have a family member or other adult outside of school who you can count on to help you, no matter what? 3. Do you have a friend from school who you can count on to help you, no matter what? 4. Do you have a teacher or adult from school who you can be completely yourself around? (6-12 only) 5. Do you have a family member or other adult outside of school who you can be completely yourself around? (6-12 only) 6. Do you have a friend from school who you can be completely yourself around? (6-12 only) 7. What can teachers or other adults at school do to better support you? Engagement: How attentive and invested students are in class. Grades 3-5 1. How excited are you about going to this class? 2. How focused are you on the activities in this class? 3. In this class, how excited are you to participate? 4. When you are not at school, how often do you talk about ideas from this class? 5. How interested are you in this class? Grades 6-12 1. How excited are you about going to your classes? 2. How often do you get so focused on activities in your classes that you lose track of time? 3. In your classes, how eager are you to participate? 4. When you are not in school, how often do you talk about ideas from your classes? 5. Overall, how interested are you in your classes? Sense of Belonging: How much students feel that they are valued members of the school community. Grades 3-5 1. How well do people at your school understand you as a person? 2. How much support do the adults at your school give you? 3. How much respect do students at your school show you? 4. Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school? Grades 6-12 1. How well do people at your school understand you as a person? 2. How connected do you feel to the adults at your school? 3. How much respect do students in your school show you? 4. How much do you matter to others at this school? 5. Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school? ## Student Survey Participation, Current and Longitudinal Data: The Panorama Student Survey is broken down into two component areas; Student ## Competency and Well-Being Measures (Challenging Feelings, Emotional Regulation, ## Positive Feelings, and Supportive Relationships) and Student Supports + Environment (Engagement and Belonging). A breakdown of the student participation in the survey is shared in Table 2 below. Longitudinal participation rates are outlined in Table 3. Current and longitudinal data for all areas surveyed is presented in Tables 4 (data for students in grades 3-5) and 5 (data for students in grades 6-12) below with analysis following. ## Table 2: 2026 Panorama Student Participation Rates ## Total Grades 3-5 Grades 6-12 ## Student Competency and Well-Being ## Measures 72% 92% 63% ## Student Supports + Environment 72% 92% 64% *Percentages represent percent of enrolled students eligible to take the survey ## Table 3: Longitudinal Panorama Student Participation Rates 2021 Total 2022 Total 2023 Total 2024 Total 2025 Total 2026 Total ## Student ## Competency and Well-Being ## Measures 5,016 (78%) 3,189 (50%) 4,822 (72%) 4,621 (70%) 5,354 (80%) 4,907 (72%) ## Student Supports + ## Environment 4,742 (73%) 2,990 (46%) 4,461 (67%) 4,256 (65%) 5,089 (76%) 4,956 (72%) ## Table 4: District-Wide Student Results Grade 3-5 with Longitudinal Data ## District ## Student ## Results Grade 3-5 2021 % ## Favorable ## Response 2022 % ## Favorable ## Response 2023 % ## Favorable ## Response 2024 % ## Favorable ## Response 2025 % ## Favorable ## Response 2026 % ## Favorable ## Response ## Supportive ## Relationships 84% 91% 90% 92% 93% 93% ## Positive ## Feelings 67% 77% 75% 77% 78% 73%* ## Challenging ## Feelings 60% 66% 65% 68% 71% 69%* ## Emotion ## Regulation 51% 54% 53% 55% 60% 59% Engagement 23% 59% 59% 60% 60% 58%* Sense of ## Belonging 72% 75% 76% 75% *A change of +/- 2 indicates a statistically significant change ## Table 5: District-Wide Student Results 6-12 with Longitudinal Data ## Student ## Results Grade 6-12 2021 % ## Favorable ## Response 2022 % ## Favorable ## Response 2023 % ## Favorable ## Response 2024 % ## Favorable ## Response 2025 % ## Favorable ## Response 2026 % ## Favorable ## Response ## Supportive ## Relationships 84% 84% 87%* 88% 90%* 90% ## Positive ## Feelings 67% 66% 66% 71%* 71% 72% ## Challenging ## Feelings 60% 63%* 60%* 65%* 65%* 67%* ## Emotion ## Regulation 51% 52% 54%* 60%* 60% 63%* Engagement 23% 28%* 27% 30%* 29% 34%* Sense of ## Belonging 50% 57%* 59%* 67%* *A change of +/- 2 indicates a statistically significant change ## Grades 3-5 Key Takeaways - Positive Trends and Strengths ● Supportive Relationships remains the district's highest-performing area at 93% favorable, unchanged from 2025, indicating sustained, strong student support networks. ● Sense of Belonging held steady at 75%, sustaining gains made over the past three years. ● Both our Asian and Black or African American student groups reported higher scores (than the district's overall score) in the area of Engagement (Asian - 8 points higher, Black or African American - 7 points higher). ## Grades 3-5 Key Takeaways - Opportunities for Improvement ● Given the number of students in grades 3-5 districtwide, a change in 2% indicates a statistically significant change. This change was seen in the following areas: ○ Positive Feelings - further analysis indicates that this decline was driven by students feeling less loved (down 8 points) and less safe (down 4 points). ○ Challenging Feelings - further analysis indicates that this decline was driven by students feeling more lonely (down 3 points) and more sad and worried (each down by 2 points). ○ Engagement - further analysis indicates that this decline was driven by students feeling less focused in class (down 4 points), as well as not talking as often about ideas from school (down 6 points) ○ Within each of these areas, we also continue to see persistent demographic disparities. Our Hispanic/Latino students reported lower overall scores (compared to the district percentage) on Challenging Feelings (6 points lower), and Positive Feelings (3 points lower). Our Black or African American students reported lower overall scores on Challenging Feelings (8 points lower), while our students who identify as Two or More Races reported lower overall scores on Positive Feelings (3 points lower) and Engagement (3 points lower). ## Grades 6-12 Key Takeaways - Positive Trends and Strengths ● Supportive Relationships remained at 90% favorable, the district's highest secondary student outcome for the second consecutive year. ● Challenging feelings improved 2 points (the threshold for a statistically significant change) from 65% to 67% ● Emotion Regulation improved 3 points to 63%, building on significant gains achieved between 2023 and 2025. ● Engagement rose 5 points from 29% to 34%. This represents a meaningful rebound after a plateau. ● Sense of Belonging rose 8 points from 59% to 67%, representing the greatest gains in the 6-12 data. ● Overall, all areas measured showed growth or held steady for our secondary students, which is a celebration! ● As with our 3-5 grade data, both our Asian and Black or African American student groups reported higher scores (than the district overall score) in the area of Engagement (Asian -11 points higher, Black or African American - 3 points higher). ● Our Black or African American students also reported higher scores (than the district's overall score) in the areas of Challenging Feelings (4 points higher) and Emotional Regulation (3 points higher). ## Grades 6-12 Key Takeaways - Opportunities for Improvement ● Engagement, while improved, remains critically low. Only 34% of secondary students report favorable Engagement responses. Sub-items remain concerning: excitement about going to class sits at 30%, and students talking about class ideas outside school sits at 30%. ● As with our 3-5 grade data, demographic disparities exist: ○ Our Asian students reported lower scores on Challenging Feelings (5 points lower), Positive Feelings (4 points lower), and Supportive Relationships (4 points lower) ○ Our Hispanic/Latino students reported lower scores in Challenging Feelings (3 points lower), Emotional Regulation (4 points lower), and Positive Feelings (3 points lower). ○ Our students who identify as Two or More Races reported lower scores on Sense of Belonging (6 points lower), Challenging Feelings (3 points lower), and Positive Feelings (7 points lower). ○ Our Black or African American students reported lower scores on Sense of Belonging (5 points lower). Overall, given the context of Operation Metro Surge this school year, we believe our scores are reflective of the very real stressors felt by students this school year. Data indicate that these stressors affected our students of color disproportionately and that there are continued growth opportunities in bringing equitable experiences to all Edina students. Supportive Relationships continue to be the strongest resilience factor and greatest strength for Edina students. ## Panorama Educator Survey: The Panorama educator survey was administered to all EPS licensed staff from March 23 through April 3, 2026. The staff survey asked questions within the broad categories of School Climate, Belonging, and Well-Being. The entire survey required about ten minutes to complete. More information about the topic areas that staff responded to can be viewed in Table 6 below. Table 7 provides more information about longitudinal staff survey participation, and Table 8 provides longitudinal favorable response data. ## Table 6: Questions ## Topic: Questions: ## School Climate: Perceptions of the overall social and learning climate of the school. 1. On most days, how enthusiastic are the students about being at school? 2. To what extent are teachers trusted to teach in the way they think is best? 3. How positive are the attitudes of your colleagues? 4. How supportive are students in their interactions with each other? 5. How respectful are the relationships between teachers and students? 6. How optimistic are you that your school will improve in the future? 7. How often do you see students helping each other without being prompted? 8. When new initiatives to improve teaching are presented at your school, how supportive are your colleagues? 9. Overall, how positive is the working environment at your school? Belonging: How much faculty and staff feel that they are valued members of the school community. 1. How well do your colleagues at school understand you as a person? 2. How connected do you feel to other adults at your school? 3. How much respect do colleagues in your school show you? 4. How much do you matter to others at your school? 5. Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school? Well-Being: Staff perceptions of their own professional well-being. 1. During the past week, how often did you feel engaged at work? 2. During the past week, how often did you feel excited at work? 3. During the past week, how often did you feel exhausted at work? 4. During the past week, how often did you feel frustrated at work? 5. During the past week, how often did you feel happy at work? 6. During the past week, how often did you feel hopeful at work? 7. During the past week, how often did you feel overwhelmed at work? 8. During the past week, how often did you feel safe at work? 9. During the past week, how often did you feel stressed out at work? 10. During the past week, how often did you feel worried at work? 11. How effective do you feel at your job right now? 12. How much does your work matter to you? 13. How meaningful for you is the work that you do? 14. Overall, how satisfied are you with your job right now? 15. What can school or district leaders do to better support your well-being? (free response) 16. What has helped you most in managing work-related stress? (free response) ## Table 7: Staff Survey Participation 2022 Total 2023 Total 2024 Total 2025 Total 2026 Total ## Staff Climate and ## Belonging 397 (62%)* 538 (77%)* 574 (85%)* 597 (83%)* 574 (81%)* *Percentages represent the percentage of licensed staff employed ## Table 8: Longitudinal District Panorama Educator Results ## District Wide Staff ## Results 2022 % ## Favorable ## Responses (n=397) 2023 % ## Favorable ## Responses (n=538) 2024 % ## Favorable ## Responses (n=538) 2025 % ## Favorable ## Responses (n=597) 2026 % ## Favorable ## Responses (n=574) ## School Climate 40% 53%* 64%* 62% 62% ## Sense of Belonging 61% 68%* 68% 68% ## Well-Being 67% 68% *A change of +/- 3 in % favorable responses indicates a statistically significant change ## Panorama Educator Data Key Takeaways - Positive Trends and Strengths ● Staff participation rate remains strong, reflecting sustained engagement in the survey process. ● Looking longitudinally, School Climate has improved 22 percentage points since 2022 (40% → 62%) ● Staff find deep meaning in their work, with 96% reporting their work matters to them and 93% finding it meaningful, suggesting strong intrinsic motivation and purpose alignment. ● Despite the climate created by Operation Metro Surge, it is a testament to the resilience of our teachers that our scores maintained their level of favorability from last school year on all three areas surveyed. ## Panorama Educator Data Key Takeaways - Opportunities for Improvement ● Within School Climate, analysis of sub-items indicates that: ○ Support for new initiatives declined 5 points to 36% (one of the lowest scores across all measures), and ○ Colleague positivity dropped 4 points to 52%. ● These two indicators indicate that staff are feeling initiative fatigue, which may be affecting their overall positivity. ● Well-Being, though stable, remains at 68% favorable. Further analysis indicates the following areas for improvement within this scale: ○ The question, “During the past week, how often did you feel overwhelmed at work,” declined by 2 points from an overall favorable score of 26% only 24% ○ The question, “During the past week, how often did you feel exhausted at work?” declined by 2 points from an overall favorable score of 16% to 14%. Taken together, the analysis of this data indicates that in order to make continued gains in the areas of staff well-being and overall school climate, we should consider taking inventory of the number of new initiatives being put into place. While state mandates dictate almost all of these initiatives, we should consider what factors for support are within our control to ensure that staff feel that they have the resources necessary to implement new initiatives with confidence and fidelity. Additionally, continuing to create belonging within the work setting should be the strength we lean into in order to support the culture and well-being of our staff. ## Employee Engagement Survey ## Background and Purpose: This fall, our school district administered its employee engagement survey for the fourth time. Unlike the Panorama survey, the employee engagement survey is distributed to all regular Edina employees to ensure engagement is measured across all employee groups. The survey is designed to gather meaningful insights into employees’ experiences and perceptions of the workplace. These insights help guide ongoing efforts to strengthen the work environment and support continuous improvement. By prioritizing employee engagement, the district seeks to foster a positive and supportive work culture that strengthens both the recruitment and retention of outstanding EPS team members. According to Gallup’s February 2026 data, only 31% of U.S. employees across industries are considered “actively engaged,” meaning they are involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace. Approximately 18% are “actively disengaged,” showing signs of resentment and disconnection. The remaining 51% fall into the category of “not engaged,” defined as employees who are emotionally detached and exert minimal effort, lacking enthusiasm or passion for their work. ## Employee Engagement Survey Questions: The fourteen survey questions focus on three key categories: 1. Employee Engagement with the District’s Mission and Their Role – This includes having the necessary resources, understanding job expectations, perceiving colleagues' commitment, and experiencing a strong sense of engagement. 2. Feeling Connected – This category explores whether employees feel cared for by someone at work, recognized for their accomplishments, heard and valued, and connected to their team. 3. Opportunities to Learn and Grow – This includes receiving frequent feedback, having opportunities to do their best work, feeling encouraged and supported, and perceiving that employee development is a priority. ## Employee Participation: A total of 1,109 EPS employees participated in the fall 2025 survey, with representation from every employee group, which is approximately 76% of the district’s benefits-eligible employees. This is an excellent response rate and ensures our survey responses are representative of our school district’s employees. A breakdown of longitudinal employee participation data by employee group is listed below: ## Employee Group 2022-23 Number of ## Employee ## Participants 2023-24 Number of ## Employee ## Participants 2024-25 Number of ## Employee ## Participants 2025-26 Number of ## Employee ## Participants Administrative (EAC, ## Non-Affiliated, SAC) 34 35 46 46 ## Community ## Education 39 25 61 66 Custodial and ## Grounds 15 42 51 21 ## EPASS 30 28 55 60 ## Paraprofessional, ## Health Service ## Associates 89 53 148 161 ## Supervisory, Confidential, and ## Other Support Staff 29 22 31 40 Teacher (Classroom, ## Non-Classroom) 485 251 656 640 Transportation 10 13 72 75 Total 731 469 1,120 1,109 Breakdown of Employee Participants by Years of Service - Fall 2025 ● 45% of respondents have 0-5 years of service ● 16% of respondents have 6-10 years of service ● 39% of respondents have 10+ years of service ## Employee Engagement Survey Data: ## Employee ## Engagement ## Questions ## All Employees 2022-23 ## Strongly Agree and ## Agree ## Responses (Desired Benchmark* = 80% or higher) ## N=732 2023-24 ## Strongly Agree and ## Agree ## Responses (Desired Benchmark* = 80% or higher) ## N=483 2024-25 ## Strongly Agree and ## Agree ## Responses (Desired ## Benchmark* = 80% or higher) ## N=1,120 2025-26 ## Strongly Agree and ## Agree ## Responses (Desired ## Benchmark* = 80% or higher) ## N=1,109 The vision and mission of Edina ## Public Schools make me feel like my work is important. 80% 74% 82% 85% I enjoy working with my team. 90% 90% 91% 92% I have the resources I need to do my job well. 63% 61% 72% 77% I understand what is expected of me in my position. 89% 89% 90% 92% I get to use my best skills at work every 78% 81% 82% 83% day. In the last week, I have received recognition for doing good work. 51% 51% 56% 59% At least one person seems to care about me at work. 94% 94% 93% 94% There is someone at work who supports my professional growth. 77% 78% 80% 82% At work, my ideas are appreciated. 74% 76% 79% 79% My colleagues are committed to doing excellent work. 87% 82% 89% 90% I have a good friend at work. 81% 74% 80% 81% A colleague and/or supervisor at work has talked to me about my progress during this school year. 68% 61% 58% 64% Edina employees have shared their expertise and experiences with me during the past year. 83% 80% 85% 87% I feel like I belong here. 78% 75% 80% 84% *Target Benchmark of 80% Strongly Agree/Agree is intentionally ambitious and based on Gallup’s finding that 18% of U.S. employees are actively disengaged, 51% are not engaged, and 31% are actively engaged. ## Positive Trends and Strengths: At least one person seems to care about me at work. 94% I enjoy working with my team. 92% I understand what is expected of me in my position. 92% The majority of survey participants reported high levels of job satisfaction, particularly in relation to collaborating with their teams and having opportunities to use their strengths in their work. Employees also indicated a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities, reflecting a meaningful sense of fulfillment and engagement across the organization. Additionally, 94% of respondents shared that at least one person at work genuinely cares about them. This strong sense of support is foundational to creating a psychologically safe work environment, one in which employees feel valued and respected. When employees feel cared for, they are more likely to think creatively, collaborate openly, and approach change with trust and resilience. These conditions contribute to a more positive and engaged workplace culture. ● Teamwork and Collaboration: Scores remain consistently high, indicating employees genuinely enjoy working with their teams and value the collaborative culture. ● Clarity of Expectations: Employees continue to report a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities, reflecting clear and consistent expectations. ● Supportive Workplace Environment: High levels of agreement suggest employees feel supported and cared for within the school district. ● Sharing Expertise and Peer Learning: Positive growth over time demonstrates increasing collaboration and a strong culture of shared learning among colleagues. ● Use of Individual Strengths: Continued improvement indicates employees increasingly feel able to apply their skills and strengths effectively in their work. ● Commitment to Excellence: Employees continue to view their colleagues as committed to doing high-quality work, reinforcing a strong culture of professionalism and excellence. ## Opportunities for Improvement: A colleague and/or supervisor at work has talked to me about my progress during this school year. 64% In the last week, I have received recognition for doing good work. 59% While there is still room for improvement, there has been progress: a 3% increase in employees reporting that they received recognition for good work in the past week compared to 2024-2025 and an 8% increase since 2023-2024. One of the key opportunities identified in the data continues to be the need for more ongoing feedback. This presents an important opportunity to strengthen communication, support, and connection across teams. ● Feedback and Progress Conversations: While 64% of employees reported having discussions about their progress, an increase of 6 percentage points from last year, strengthening feedback processes and increasing the frequency of meaningful progress conversations remains an important area of focus. ● Recognition: Recognition scores continue to improve as the school district provides more consistent acknowledgment of employee contributions; however, there remains an opportunity to further strengthen intentional appreciation practices. How is EPS Responding to Panorama Educator and Employee Engagement Survey Data? Intentional district-wide and building-level practices across EPS have been implemented in direct response to Panorama Educator and Employee Engagement Survey data, with a focus on strengthening employee belonging, expanding opportunities for recognition and connection, and enhancing feedback and support practices. Examples of these efforts include: ● The Buzz weekly employee newsletter fosters connection across the district by recognizing new employees with photos and fun facts, while also featuring staff spotlights that celebrate employees’ professional accomplishments, personal interests, and unique contributions to the EPS community. ● Buildings demonstrate staff appreciation and recognition through teacher appreciation events, shout-outs, underground spirit weeks, surprise recognition days, awards programs, thank-you notes, and themed celebration activities. ● A newly implemented district process ensures supervisors meet with all new employees within their first 30 days of employment to conduct individual check-ins and strengthen early connections. ● Buildings regularly promote collaborative leadership structures and employee voice through committees, action teams, shared decision-making, and leadership groups aligned to school improvement goals. ● Wellness resources are shared regularly across the district, including information on employee benefits, mental health support, and overall wellness guidance. ● Many buildings have utilized professional learning focused on strengthening positive culture and relationships through Top 20 training, Leader in Me, Working Genius, and other wellness-centered professional development sessions. ● Dr. Bittman implemented the Hornet of the Year recognition program, which honors employees making a daily difference for students. This recognition has also become a meaningful community-building event at each EPS site, bringing together colleagues, family members, and other important supporters to celebrate the honoree. ● The annual “Green Out” at Kick Off continues to grow each year as a powerful opportunity to build school spirit, strengthen relationships, and begin the school year together as one community. ● The use of Working Genius across buildings and departments has strengthened belonging, collaboration, and trust among teams. ● Across nearly all positions, buildings, and departments, new employees identify their onboarding experience as a major strength, citing respectful interview processes, supportive onboarding, and feeling welcomed by colleagues. These practices have enhanced employees’ sense of belonging, which plays a critical role in fostering engagement, improving retention, and increasing overall workplace satisfaction. ● Pizza party incentives were provided for the second consecutive year to every building that achieved an employee engagement survey participation rate of 70% or higher, reinforcing the importance of employee voice and feedback. ● Leadership development led by Principal Tricia Pettis has trained EPS operational leaders on strategies for building trust with employees through Working Genius and other recognition practices. ## Employee Wellness Committee Employees representing teachers, coordinators, administrative assistants, Edina Education Fund, and district office team members make up the Edina Employee Wellness Team. Instead of monthly team meetings this year, a significant portion of the group participated in Supporting Staff Wellbeing, a year-long monthly series offered by the Minnesota Department of Education. Through this series, the team explored current research, strategies, and resources for educator wellbeing, and benchmarked Edina's organizational structure to identify both strengths and opportunities for growth. In addition to the MDE series, the team contributed monthly articles to The Buzz newsletter, with content this year spotlighting real-world implementation examples of the Working Genius assessment tool from school sites and departments across the district, bringing to life the district-wide adoption launched at the start of the 2025–2026 school year. The team also continued adding content to the employee website and engaging with Panorama and Employee Engagement data to inform ongoing wellness priorities. ## References: Gallup. State of the Global Workplace, The Human Side of the AI Revolution. Retrieved on May 15, 2026, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx ## Gallup. State of the Global Workplace, Understanding Employees, Informing Leaders. Retrieved on May 12, 2025, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx ## Gallup. In New Workplace, U.S. Employee Engagement Stagnates Retrieved on May 19, 2024, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/608675/new-workplace-employee-engage ment- stagnates ## III.C. Countryside Elementary Spanish Dual ## Language - End of Report Program Update ## Speaker(s): Lisa ## Barnholdt, ## Countryside Elementary principal; ## and Frannie Becquer, Director of ## Achievement Equity and Multilingual ## Learner Programming ## Board Meeting Date: 6/8/26 ## Title: Countryside Elementary Spanish Dual Language End-of-Year Program Update 2025-2026 ## Type: Discussion ## Presenter(s): Lisa Barnholdt, Countryside Elementary principal; and Frannie Becquer, ## Director of Achievement Equity and Multilingual Learner Programming Description: The attached report provides a comprehensive end-of-year update on the Countryside Elementary Spanish Dual Language (SDL) program for the 2025–2026 academic year. Concluding its third year of implementation, the program reached an operational milestone by expanding to Grade 3 and supporting students across the K–3 continuum. This update utilizes the research-based CAL Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education framework to document systemic progress using a three-tier rating scale (Minimal, Partial, and Full Implementation) across seven strategic priority areas: ## ● Leadership Development and Program Coordination: Evaluates administrative coordination, division of leadership responsibilities, and the development of a vertical alignment plan. ● Academic Performance and Language Acquisition: Details student growth metrics, including the launch of the Renaissance STAR Spanish assessment system (Alfabetización Temprana, Lectura, and Matemáticas) alongside FastBridge early reading indicators. ● Program Model Fidelity and Instructional Quality: Examines adherence to the program's language allocation models (80/20 in K–1 and 70/30 in Grades 2–3) and the delivery of the Benchmark Adelante literacy curriculum. ● Professional Development and Coaching Support: Reviews targeted staff training, the Biliteracy Planner intensive, and structural coaching schedules provided to instructional staff. ● Family and Community Engagement: Outlines the establishment of the 8-member parent SDL Advisory Committee, bilingual communications, and cross-cultural community events. ● Equity, Access, and Inclusion: Analyzes enrollment infrastructure, including the dual waitlist system, lottery priority systems, and outreach efforts led by the Spanish Cultural Liaison. ## ● Intervention Support and Student Success Systems: Reviews formalized Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) protocols designed in partnership with the Lightbulb Lab to deliver targeted interventions in the appropriate language of instruction. This report covers a foundational year of program growth. It includes significant operational achievements, identifies key administrative and teaching areas for ongoing improvement, and lays out a plan of action for the 2026–2027 school year. Recommendation: No recommendation is being made at this time. This presentation is an informational update for the board. Desired Outcome(s) from the Board: Thoroughly read materials and prepare questions. ## Attachments: ## SDL EOY Program update ## Countryside Elementary ## Spanish Dual ## Language ## End-of-Year ## Program Update 2025-2026 ## Executive Summary_______________________________________________________________3 ## Strategic Priority Areas: Program Performance Summary________________________4 ## Priority Area_________________________________________________________________4 ## Overall Rating_______________________________________________________________4 ## Key Accomplishments_______________________________________________________4 ## Areas of Continued Growth__________________________________________________4 ## Detailed Priority Area Assessments_______________________________________________8 ## Leadership Development and Program Coordination____________________________________9 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________9 ## Minimal______________________________________________________________9 ## Partial________________________________________________________________9 ## Full___________________________________________________________________9 ## Notable Accomplishments_________________________________________________________10 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________10 ## Academic Performance and Language Acquisition_____________________________10 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________10 ## Minimal_____________________________________________________________10 ## Partial_______________________________________________________________10 ## Full__________________________________________________________________10 ## Notable Accomplishments__________________________________________________11 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________12 ## Program Model Fidelity and Instructional Quality_______________________________12 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________12 ## Minimal______________________________________________________________12 ## Partial_______________________________________________________________12 ## Full__________________________________________________________________12 ## Notable Accomplishments__________________________________________________13 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________13 ## Professional Development and Coaching Support______________________________13 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________13 ## Minimal______________________________________________________________13 ## Partial_______________________________________________________________13 ## Full__________________________________________________________________13 ## Notable Accomplishments_________________________________________________14 ● Three-part STAR assessment training series completed (July, September, November 2025).___________________________________________________________14 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________14 ## Family and Community Engagement__________________________________________14 SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 2 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________14 ## Minimal_____________________________________________________________14 ## Partial_______________________________________________________________14 ## Full__________________________________________________________________14 ## Notable Accomplishments__________________________________________________15 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________15 ## Equity, Access and Inclusion___________________________________________________15 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________15 ## Minimal______________________________________________________________15 ## Partial_______________________________________________________________15 ## Full__________________________________________________________________15 ## Notable Accomplishments_________________________________________________16 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________16 ## Intervention Support and Student Success Systems____________________________16 ## Indicator_____________________________________________________________16 ## Minimal_____________________________________________________________16 ## Partial_______________________________________________________________16 ## Full__________________________________________________________________16 ## Notable Accomplishments_________________________________________________17 ## Areas of Growth____________________________________________________________17 ## Strategic Priorities: Looking Ahead to 2026-27___________________________________18 ## Leadership & Coordination__________________________________________________18 ## Academic Performance____________________________________________________18 ## Program Fidelity____________________________________________________________18 ## Professional Development__________________________________________________19 ## Family and Community_____________________________________________________19 ## Equity and Access__________________________________________________________19 ## Intervention and Success___________________________________________________19 ## Executive Summary The Countryside Elementary Spanish Dual Language (SDL) program concluded its fourth year of implementation in 2025–2026, reaching a significant milestone with the expansion to Grade 3 and the support of students across the K–3 continuum. This assessment utilizes the CAL Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, a research-based framework jointly published by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), Dual Language Education of New Mexico, and Santillana USA that serves as the international standard for program planning and self-reflection, to document systematic progress across seven strategic priority areas. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 3 Program status is evaluated on a three-tier rating scale: MINIMAL (beginning/limited), PARTIAL (developing/inconsistent), and FULL (consistently implemented program-wide). The 2025–2026 academic year represents a period of foundational growth, highlighted by student achievement, transformative professional learning, and the establishment of robust infrastructure for program leadership, community engagement, and multi-tiered intervention systems. Notably, the program's inaugural fourth-year cohort (Grade 3) is currently demonstrating growth in both Spanish literacy and mathematics, validating the longitudinal effectiveness of the SDL model. Strategic priorities for the 2026–2027 cycle will focus on heritage speaker enrollment, the formalization of instructional observation and coaching protocols, and proactive vertical alignment planning ## Strategic Priority Areas: Program Performance ## Summary This section uses a table format to summarize the end-of-year rating (Minimal, Partial, or Full Implementation) for each of the seven strategic priority areas, noting specific key accomplishments and areas needing continued growth. Assessment Framework: This summary uses the CAL Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education rubric (Strands 1–6, page 52+) organized around seven strategic priority areas. Rating Scale: MINIMAL — Beginning / limited PARTIAL — Developing / inconsistent FULL — Consistently implemented program-wide ## Priority Area Overall Rating Key Accomplishments ## Areas of Continued ## Growth ## Leadership development & ## Program ## Coordination ## Partial implementation Biweekly leadership team coordination meetings established with consistent cadence. Clear division of responsibilities across ## Principal, Dean, SDL Coordinator, and Director of Achievement Equity. ## SDL Coordinator (.4 FTE) serves as a critical bidirectional bridge K–12 vertical alignment plan not yet in place; middle and high school programming decisions still pending. ## Principal Barnholdt has dedicated more than 70 hours to leadership, management, and programming specifically for the SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 4 between classroom teachers and leadership. ## Cross-departmental MTSS collaboration with District ## Continuous ## Improvement Specialist. SDL, as evidenced by time tracking data. ## Academic Performance & ## Language ## Acquisition ## Full ## Implementation STAR assessment system successfully launched across all grade levels (K–3) in both literacy and mathematics. First-year baseline data helped guide interventions and displays progress in student Spanish acquisition and fluency. Grade 3 is performing above grade level in both Spanish literacy and mathematics — a milestone for the program's first fourth-year cohort. STAMPe protocol established for students entering the program after Kindergarten. Currently using STAMPe with a few students and will develop further protocols for use as a measure of language acquisitions across receptive and productive skills. Partner language scores not yet formally integrated into district-level reporting structures. ## Program Model Fidelity & ## Instructional Quality ## Partial/Full ## Implementation Teachers have been hired for open positions. ## Research-based language allocation model fully implemented: 80/20 Classroom observation protocols still in development; systematic fidelity walkthroughs not yet in place SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 5 ## (K–1), 70/30 (2–3), 50/50 drafted (4–5). And appropriate materials ordered to support. ## Benchmark Adelante established as the guaranteed, viable curriculum for Spanish literacy instruction. ## Professional Development & ## Coaching Support ## Partial Implementation. ## Three-part STAR assessment training series completed (July, ## September, November 2025). ## SDL Coordinator provides structured coaching through a formalized schedule of intervention, PLC participation, and 1:1 teacher support. ## Multi-year, written PD plan not yet formalized; comprehensive long-term vision still in development ## Continue development of vertical Professional ## Learning Community (PLC) structure. ## Family & Community ## Engagement ## Full ## Implementation ## SDL Advisory Committee formed through a rigorous blind selection process — 8 parent representatives across all grade levels. Monthly alternating meeting cadence (advisory-only and all-families) established and maintained. All parent meeting materials distributed in both English and Spanish; meeting summaries emailed to all families. Middle school communication prompted parent anxiety; more structured, proactive two-way communication needed around long-term program planning. As the parent committee enters its second year, formalize committee goals and membership terms by establishing official bylaws. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 6 ## Día de Muertos building-wide celebration connected SDL and neighborhood students around shared culture. ## Equity, Access &Inclusion ## Partial ## Implementation Dual waitlist system (Heritage and English) established for equitable enrollment management. For the 2026–2027 academic year, heritage Spanish speakers constitute 47% of the total ## Kindergarten enrollment. Enhanced verification process implemented: ## Family Language ## Survey plus Spanish phone screening. ## Spanish Cultural Liaison (Montserrat Sepulveda) hired in September 2025 — conducting outreach to Latino/a community. ## A new English Learner protocol was created for SDL heritage speakers who do not meet service criteria in ## Kindergarten. These students, who receive primary instruction in ## Spanish during K–1, may become eligible for services in 2nd grade as the proportion Heritage speaker enrollment at 11.4% — significantly below the 30–50% program target; sustained outreach required. Misconception that SDL does not adequately teach English remains a documented barrier to heritage family enrollment. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 7 of English instruction grows. ## Authentic Spanish literature prioritized in library inventory and classroom libraries. ## Intervention Support ## & Students Success ## Systems ## Partial ## Implementation ## Research-based intervention protocols established with graduated entrance criteria by grade (30th / 40th / 50th percentile on FastBridge). ## SDL Coordinator and ## Lightbulb Lab collaboration formalized with clear, written intervention protocols. K–2 interventions delivered in Spanish; Grade 3 aligned to heritage language — honoring the dual language acquisition trajectory. Eight-week cycles with STAR progress monitoring and defined post-exit monitoring (3+ data points by classroom teacher). ## SDL-compatible acceleration options for Grades 4–5 not yet developed; existing district acceleration programs are English-only. Intervention protocol documentation for Grades 4–5 not yet complete pending staffing. Evaluate intervention support in both English and Spanish. Concerns have been raised by the parent advisory board regarding whether the current staffing is sufficient to meet student needs as the ## Spanish Dual Language (SDL) program expands. Specifically, there is a question as to whether a .6 FTE allocation remains the appropriate staffing level.. ## Detailed Priority Area Assessments This segment offers a comprehensive analysis of the program's progress across strategic priorities, employing the CAL Guiding Principles rubric for thorough self-assessment and reflection. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 8 The following rubrics are based on the CAL Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, a research-informed framework developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) to support the planning and development of dual language initiatives. Structured around seven core strands—Assessment and Accountability, Curriculum, ## Instruction, Staff Quality and Professional Development, Program Structure, Family and Community, and Support and Resources—the framework includes specific Guiding Principles and Indicators to evaluate program alignment. Progress is measured through a three-level system: ● Minimal: Indicates an early or restricted level of implementation. ● Partial: Indicates a developing but inconsistent level of implementation. ● Full: Indicates a level where the principle is integrated consistently across the program. ## Leadership Development and Program Coordination Cal strand 5 - Program Structure Principles: 3 & 5 Cal strand 1 - Assessment and accountability: Principle 1 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full Program has an administrative leader plus a leadership team with defined roles and a plan for training future leaders. ☐ No clear leadership; ad hoc decisions only. ☐ Administrative leader exists; staff roles not clearly defined. x Leader + team with well-defined roles and responsibilities; succession/training plan in place. ## Day-to-day decisions are aligned to program vision/mission and communicated transparently to all stakeholders. ☐ Decisions are random; stakeholders not informed. ☐ Decisions align to vision but communication is sporadic. x Consistent alignment to vision; two-way communication with all stakeholders. Program leaders proactively advocate for the program at school, district, and community levels. ☐ No proactive advocacy; reactive only. ☐ Advocacy with limited stakeholders; not yet community-wide. x Proactive, multi-level advocacy; long-term advocacy plan exists. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 9 Data management system exists and is used to track student demographic and performance data over time. ☐ No system for tracking student data over time. ☐ System exists but partially developed or inconsistently used. x ## Comprehensive system used program-wide for demographics and multi-measure performance tracking. Assessment and accountability plans are integrated into program, curriculum, and PD planning. ☐ ## No accountability plan exists. ☐ Plan exists but not integrated into program or curriculum planning. x ## Articulated, integrated plan; routinely reviewed and revised. ## Notable Accomplishments ● Biweekly leadership team coordination meetings established with consistent cadence. ● Clear division of responsibilities: SDL Coordinator, Principal, Dean, and Director roles defined. ● SDL Coordinator serves as a bidirectional bridge between classroom teachers and leadership team. ## ● Cross-departmental collaboration with District MTSS Specialist (Leigh Ann Feily) established. ● Strategic planning underway for 4th–5th grade expansion, staffing, and assessment systems. ## Areas of Growth ● K–12 vertical alignment plan not yet in place; middle and high school programming decisions are pending. ## Academic Performance and Language Acquisition Cal strand 1 - Assessment and accountability: Principle 2-5 Cal strand 3 - Instruction: Principle 1 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full Program engages in ongoing evaluation using standards appropriate for dual language programs. ☐ No ongoing evaluation — neither self nor external. ☐ Initial self-evaluation conducted; action plan written. X Annual reviews and self/external evaluations conducted; findings directly inform program change. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 10 Student assessment is aligned with classroom/program goals and state standards in both languages. ☐ Assessments only in response to state/district mandates; no program alignment. ☐ Plans exist to align assessments; alignment may occur sporadically. ## X Assessments fully aligned with classroom goals, program goals, and state standards. Progress is documented in both program languages for oral proficiency, literacy, and academic achievement. ☐ Limited, sporadic evidence of student progress. ☐ Systematic measurement in one language or one goal area only. ## X Systematic measurement in both languages for all achievement objectives and program goals. Progress is measured using a variety of indicators; data drive both program and classroom decisions. ☐ Progress reported using only state/district guidelines; data not used in classrooms. ☐ Some use of data; occasionally informs classroom decisions. ## X Data routinely used for classroom and program decisions; interpreting data is central to evaluation. Assessment and accountability plans are integrated into program, curriculum, and PD planning. ☐ Students assessed only in English. ☐ Students assessed in both languages; only English scores used for evaluation. x Both languages assessed; both score sets included in program evaluation reports. ## Notable Accomplishments ● STAR assessment system successfully launched: Alfabetización Temprana (K–1), Lectura (2–3), Matemáticas (2–3). ● Three assessment windows completed: Fall (Aug 14–Sep 29), Winter (Nov 30–Jan 14) and Spring ● STAMPe protocol established for students entering the program after Kindergarten.. ● Spring 2026 FastBridge metrics indicate that K-1 student cohorts achieved a 30% proficiency rate in early reading, effectively surpassing the CSIP target of 25% and demonstrating substantial longitudinal growth from the 14.46% baseline established in Spring 2025. ● The inaugural implementation of the Renaissance STAR Spanish assessment system successfully established district-wide baseline data, revealing trends in academic Spanish development. Student cohorts across evaluated grade levels have demonstrated consistent, positive longitudinal growth in reading proficiency, as measured by Lectura and Alfabetización Temprana metrics. This uniform progress validates current instructional strategies, confirming successful acquisition of academic Spanish. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 11 ● In addition to language mechanics and literacy, baseline tracking expanded to evaluate mathematical content knowledge delivered and assessed entirely in Spanish (STAR Matemáticas). ○ Evidence of Growth: Data indicates a trajectory consistent with literacy gains. Student cohorts have shown continuous improvement in scaled scores and percentiles from their initial fall baselines through the spring testing cycle. ○ Conceptual Dual Language Mastery: These sustained trends confirm that students are mastering grade-level mathematical standards while successfully navigating the specialized academic Spanish vocabulary required for complex problem-solving. ## Areas of Growth ● Comprehensive bilingual proficiency picture not yet complete; oral proficiency not systematically measured. ● Partner language scores not yet formally integrated into district-level reporting structures. ● Following this first-year implementation, current efforts are directed toward robust data integration, specifically the calibration of STAR Spanish assessment data to mirror the benchmarking logic of the English universal screener, FastBridge. ## Program Model Fidelity and Instructional Quality Cal strand 2 - Curriculum: Principles 1-3 Cal strand 3 - Instruction: Principles 1-4 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full Curriculum meets or exceeds district/state content standards in both languages of instruction. ☐ Standards not considered in curriculum development for one or both languages. ☐ Standards used inconsistently for one or both languages. x ## Standards systematically guide curriculum development for both languages at all grades. Language allocation model (80/20 → 70/30 → 50/50) is faithfully and consistently implemented. ☐ No language separation; teachers use both freely or constantly translate. ☐ Language separation attempted; adhered to more strictly in one language. x Consistent language separation with high expectations for teachers and students in each language. Explicit language arts instruction is systematically provided and ☐ Language arts only in one language for ☐ Language arts in both languages but one is minimal or sporadic. x Systematic language arts in both languages; SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 12 coordinated in both program languages. program duration. coordinated across teachers and grade levels. ## Observation protocols exist and classroom walkthroughs assess instructional fidelity. ☐ No observation protocols or walkthroughs. x Protocols in development; walkthroughs not yet systematic. ☐ Observation protocols deployed; regular walkthroughs inform coaching and program improvement. ## Notable Accomplishments ● Language allocation model fully implemented: 80/20 (K–1: 248/245 min Spanish), 70/30 (2–3: 232/210 min), 50/50 drafted (4–5). ● Benchmark Adelante established as the guaranteed and viable curriculum for Spanish literacy. ● December 4 Benchmark Biliteracy Planner professional development shifted the team's approach to dual language instruction, facilitating the development of critical bridging connections between English and Spanish pedagogy. ● SDL Coordinator actively working with K–3 PLCs on curriculum alignment and pacing. ## Areas of Growth ● Classroom observation protocols still in development; systematic fidelity walkthroughs not yet in place ## Professional Development and Coaching Support Cal strand 4 - Staff Quality and Professional Development: Principles 1-4 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full A comprehensive, long-term PD plan exists and is well-implemented, addressing all staff roles. x No plan; PD is sporadic and incidental. ☐ Plan exists but activities are generic and do not include all staff. ☐ ## Comprehensive PD plan in place; tailored to varying needs of all staff including DL-specific roles. PD is explicitly aligned with dual language program competencies and standards. ☐ PD does not address theories, strategies, or skills specific to dual language. ☐ PD addresses useful strategies but no explicit connection to dual language classrooms. x PD explicitly addresses DL theories, strategies, and skills; meeting DL standards is a stated PD goal. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 13 Adequate time, resources, and human resources are allocated for professional development. ☐ No release time, compensation, or PD coordinator. x Some time and financial support; limited coordinator capacity. ☐ Full-time coordinator, funded PD plan, release time, and coaching support systematically provided. ## Notable Accomplishments ● Three-part STAR assessment training series completed (July, September, November 2025). ● December 4 Biliteracy Planner intensive — most impactful PD of the year — directly shifted instructional model. ● SDL Coordinator provides structured coaching: intervention modeling, PLC participation, and 1:1 teacher support. ● Benchmark consultant (Marci) engaged for ongoing K–3 PLC curriculum support and modeling. January 2026: Spanish-language Benchmark demonstration lessons completed. ## Areas of Growth ● Multi-year, written PD plan not yet formalized; comprehensive long-term PD vision still in development. ## Family and Community Engagement Cal strand 6 - Family and Community: Principles 1-3 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full ## Communication with parents and the community is consistently provided in both program languages. ☐ ## Communicatio n mostly in English. x Communication in both languages but not consistent; some events in English only. ☐ All materials and communications always in both languages; oral communication respects audience preference. Advisory structure exists for ongoing input from parents and community members. ☐ No input solicited from parents or community members. ☐ Input solicited only for specific issues; not systematic. x Formal process for ongoing input; regularly evaluated and improved. Multiple levels of parent participation are available to ☐ ## Few opportunities ☐ Multiple opportunities exist but require x Multiple varied participation SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 14 accommodate varied skills and schedules. for parent participation. specific skills or occur only during school hours. opportunities made available to all families. ## Notable Accomplishments ● SDL Advisory Committee formed through rigorous blind selection — 8 parent representatives across all grade levels. ● Monthly alternating meeting cadence: advisory-only and all-families-welcome sessions established and maintained. ● All parent meeting agendas distributed in English and Spanish; summaries emailed to all SDL families after each session. ● Día de Muertos building-wide celebration (Oct 31) connected SDL and neighborhood students around shared cultural identity. PTO recognized as strong program advocates; active in parent engagement and community communication. ## Areas of Growth ● Middle school transition communication prompted parent anxiety; more structured proactive communication needed around long-term program planning. ● Maintaining consistent bilingual communication has been challenging due to the ongoing updates of the dedicated website for ADA compliance and the modernization of communication platforms. These efforts are expected to yield improved results during the 2026–2027 school year. ## Equity, Access and Inclusion Cal strand 5 - Program Structures: Principle 2 Cal strand 3 - Instruction : Principle 4 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full Heritage speaker enrollment trends toward program target (30–50%) through intentional outreach. ☐ No strategy or data tracking for heritage speaker enrollment. x Some outreach exists; enrollment remains significantly below target range. ☐ Dual waitlist, enhanced verification, ## and Cultural Liaison outreach in place; enrollment trending toward target. Both languages are equally valued; partner language status is intentionally elevated throughout the program. ☐ One language holds higher status; no steps taken to elevate partner language. ☐ Some steps toward language parity; one language still devalued in certain domains. x Both languages equally valued; language status issues regularly discussed; partner language deliberately promoted. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 15 All cultural groups are equally represented in curriculum, materials, events, and school environment. ☐ One cultural group holds higher status; materials not reflective of student diversity. ☐ ## Some diverse/multicultural materials used; not systematic across grades and both languages. x All cultural groups equally valued; diverse materials and events explicitly build cross-cultural appreciation. ## Notable Accomplishments ● Dual waitlist system (Heritage and English) established and actively maintained for equitable enrollment management. ● For the 2026–2027 academic year, heritage Spanish speakers constitute 47% of the total Kindergarten enrollment. ● Enhanced verification process: Family Language Survey plus Spanish phone screening with SDL Coordinator. ● Spanish Cultural Liaison (Montserrat Sepulveda) hired September 2025 — conducting targeted outreach to heritage-speaking families. ● Priority enrollment for heritage speakers within the lottery system formally adopted. ● Authentic Spanish literature prioritized in library inventory and classroom collections. ## Areas of Growth ● Heritage speaker enrollment at 11.4% (2025–26) — significantly below the 30–50% program target; sustained outreach required. ● Misconception that SDL does not adequately teach English remains a documented barrier to heritage family enrollment. ## Intervention Support and Student Success Systems Cal strand 1 - Assessment & Accountability: Principles 3-5 Cal strand 3 - Instruction : Principles 2-3 ## Indicator Minimal Partial Full Entrance and exit criteria for interventions are clearly defined, differentiated by language and grade level. ☐ No clear criteria; entrance/exit determined informally. ☐ Criteria exist but not differentiated by language or consistently applied. x ## Graduated, grade-specific entrance/exit criteria differentiated by language and student acquisition stage. Interventions are delivered in the appropriate language of instruction for each ☐ ## Interventions only in English regardless of language of instruction. ☐ Language of intervention is inconsistently determined; not x K–2 interventions in Spanish; Grade 3+ by heritage language and data; language SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 16 student's acquisition stage. always aligned to instruction. determined by student need. ## Collaborative protocols exist between SDL ## Coordinator, ## Lightbulb Lab, and classroom teachers. ☐ No coordination between SDL interventionist and general education support. ☐ Informal coordination; no formally established protocols. x Clear collaborative protocols formally established; regular communication and joint data review. ## Post-intervention progress monitoring ensures students maintain a positive trajectory after exiting support. ☐ ## No post-interventio n monitoring. ☐ Some follow-up monitoring; informal and inconsistent. x Classroom teacher monitors for 3+ data points post-exit; trends tracked to prevent regression. ## Notable Accomplishments ● Research-based protocols established with graduated entrance criteria: Grade 3 (30th %ile), Grade 4 (40th %ile), Grade 5 (50th %ile) on FastBridge. ● SDL Coordinator and Lightbulb Lab collaboration formalized with clear, written intervention protocols. ● K–2 interventions in Spanish; Grade 3 aligned to heritage language — honoring the DL acquisition trajectory. Eight-week cycles with STAR assessments for progress monitoring; post-exit: classroom teacher monitors 3+ data points. ● Exit criteria defined: on-track at winter benchmark in both languages AND positive growth trend. ## Areas of Growth ● SDL-compatible acceleration options for Grades 4–5 not yet developed; current district acceleration programs are English-only. ● A notable disparity exists in mathematics support: while neighborhood students have access to math interventions in English, SDL students do not currently receive equivalent math interventions in Spanish. ## Strategic Priorities: Looking Ahead to 2026-27 This closing section outlines specific action items and goals for each strategic priority area, detailing the program's planned focus for the upcoming 2026–27 school year. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 17 ## Leadership & Coordination ● Maintain the established cadence of biweekly leadership team coordination meetings. ● Continue the systematic development and drafting of the language allocation model for Grade 4 and Grade 5 expansion. ● ## Evolve K–4 Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) toward autonomous operation while maintaining intentional vertical alignment and SDL program coherence. ## Academic Performance ● Evaluate the cadence of assessment within the target language to ensure systematic data collection. ● Refine and calibrate Spanish language proficiency milestones across the grade-level continuum. ● Initiate fiscal and operational planning for the Grade 5 STAMPe implementation to measure longitudinal proficiency. ● Following this first-year implementation, current efforts are directed toward robust data integration, specifically the calibration of STAR Spanish assessment data to mirror the benchmarking logic of the English universal screener, FastBridge. ## Program Fidelity ● Refine and formalize the language allocation model to support the transition to Grade 4 expansion. ● Establish systematic classroom observation protocols and "look-fors" to ensure instructional fidelity. ● Sustain collaboration with Park Spanish Immersion to optimize Benchmark Adelante implementation for the 50/50 model. ## Professional Development ● Allocate dedicated instructional planning time for the systematic development of biliteracy units. ● Collaborate with the Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning to formalize a multi-year professional development plan. ● Continue capacity building for the SDL Coordinator to facilitate staff learning regarding biliteracy planners and Benchmark Adelante implementation. ○ Invest in specialized professional learning by sending a leadership cohort to the La Cosecha Dual Language Conference. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 18 ## Family and Community ● Sustain and broaden targeted outreach efforts to heritage-speaking families to trend toward program enrollment targets. ● Formalize the SDL Advisory Committee infrastructure by establishing official membership terms and governance bylaws. ● Maintain the established alternating meeting cadence between all-family sessions and advisory-specific committee meetings. ## Equity and Access ● Sustain and expand the distribution of bilingual program information in Spanish; continue to address systemic district-level communication barriers. ● Investigate enhanced support frameworks for heritage students with IEPs and those demonstrating limited growth or proficiency across both languages of instruction. ● Transition the MTSS model to a dual-priority focus on both longitudinal student growth and language proficiency milestones. ● ## Evaluate longitudinal English Language Development (ELD) staffing requirements to address the divergent English acquisition trajectories between SDL heritage speakers and neighborhood students, ensuring pull-out instructional cohorts remain distinct and appropriately paced. ## Intervention and Success ● Initiate the systematic design of talent development programming tailored to the Spanish Dual Language model. ● Evaluate longitudinal interventionist staffing requirements to ensure appropriate support capacity as the program expands to include upper elementary grades. SDL End-of-Year Report | Countryside Elementary | Edina Public Schools 19 ## IV. Leadership and Committee Updates ## V. Superintendent Updates ## VI. Adjournment