Redlands Unified outlines reading and math changes as test scores remain stalled

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands Unified is investing in phonics instruction, teacher training and changes to math instruction as it works to improve stagnant test scores, but officials say the full effect of its early literacy efforts is still several years away.

In written responses to Community Forward Redlands, the district said it expects those investments to be fully reflected in state English language arts results in the 2028-29 and 2029-30 school years, as students receiving the instruction since kindergarten move through the tested grades.

The explanation follows an Oct. 27 school board presentation at which administrators described recent English and math results as a “flatline.”

The latest state assessments show that 50.8% of district students tested proficient or advanced in English and 36.7% did so in math. Both rates remain below 2019 levels, and Redlands now trails California in math.

The youngest tested students have experienced some of the largest declines. Community Forward’s analysis found that third- and fourth-grade proficiency rates remain about 9 to 10 percentage points below 2019 levels in both subjects.

What is changing in reading?

The district adopted Benchmark Phonics beginning in the 2023-24 school year to strengthen foundational reading skills.

Phonics teaches students the relationships between letters and sounds, helping them decode written words. The district described its program as providing explicit, systematic instruction based on the science of reading.

Teachers use the program daily in kindergarten through third grade. In fourth and fifth grades, it is used for targeted instruction in small groups based on students’ needs.

Officials said the approach takes time to build across successive years of instruction.

“Because systematic literacy intervention is cumulative,” the district wrote, students receiving the comprehensive instruction from kindergarten onward will reach the tested grades over the next several years.

Students who were in kindergarten when the program began in 2023-24 are now in third grade and are scheduled to take their first state English assessment this spring.

To monitor reading progress between annual state tests, the district said it administers STAR Reading assessments three times each school year: fall, winter and spring.

Those assessments allow teachers and administrators to identify learning gaps, examine grade-level trends and provide additional support, according to the district.

The district also began using an early reading difficulty screener, AMIRA, in 2025-26. Officials said the latest fall screening had just been completed and results would be analyzed.

All K–3 teachers also participated in six days of foundational literacy training across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, according to the district.

The local efforts come amid a statewide push to strengthen reading instruction, including a focused on phonics. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1454 in October 2025 to align instructional materials and training for school leaders and reading specialists with evidence-based literacy practices.

What is changing in math?

The district is also preparing new math instructional materials, with an adoption planned for secondary schools this school year and elementary schools next year.

In its written response, the district said instruction would emphasize a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, inquiry and problems connected to real-world situations.

For students, that would mean more emphasis on working through multistep problems, using visual models and discussing their reasoning with classmates. The goal, officials said, is for students to explain both how a mathematical process works and why it works.

The response did not identify the new materials.

“Through strategic investments in foundational literacy and an upcoming transition to inquiry-driven mathematics, our focus is on building lasting core competencies that reflect in both regular local benchmarks and long-term state assessments,” the district said in its written response.