WINONA, Minn. – The reading proficiency of elementary students at Winona public xchools has taken a major leap. An internal assessment reported to the School Board showed students in Grades 1 to 4 moving from 52.8 to 62.7 from last September to January on a proficiency scale. Kristie O’Brien, the school district’s director of learning, attributed the improvement to a newly adopted Houghton Mifflin Harcourt learning tool built on comprehensive research into processes on learning to read. O’Brien noted that the new program was accompanied by robust in-service training for teachers.
O’Brien. Most recently vice principal at an international school in Shanghai. A graduate of Winona schools 28 years ago.