With recently secured multi-year literacy grant, district to build individualized supports so every student grows
Crete Public Schools is acknowledging this year’s state assessment results are not up to their expectations and is moving forward with urgency on a grant-funded improvement plan focused on literacy and student growth.
“We own these results. They are not where we want them to be, and we’re not waiting to act,” said Dr. Josh McDowell, CPS superintendent. “Our plan is clear, aligned to Nebraska’s literacy goals, and funded for the work our teachers and students need right now.”
District average scores for 2025 show CPS at 55% proficient in ELA (state: 59%), 56% in Math (state: 58%), and 88% in Science (state: 80%).
CPS’s 2025 AQuESTT classifications are Good for the district overall, Great for the Intermediate, and Good for the Elementary, Middle School, and High School. The Middle School continues to carry an ATSI designation for English Learners.
The plan: CLSD + MTSS-A, built on predictive data
CPS is implementing a multi-year literacy roadmap supported by the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant and aligned to statewide goals — such as increasing third-grade ELA proficiency toward 75% by 2030.
“We want to continue shifting emphasis from ‘post-mortem,’ once-a-year scores to predictive, in-year indicators so our teachers can adjust their individualized instruction early and often,” said Brittany Hajek, CPS Chief Academic Officer.
A central pillar is the launch of MTSS-A (Multi-Tiered System of Supports - Academics) to identify each student’s current level and provide targeted instruction — both for learners who need support and those ready to accelerate. CPS’s rollout includes:
Phase 1: Launch (now through February): finalize common assessments and screening schedules; establish data routines and leadership teams.
Phase 2: Systematize (spring/summer): align interventions, progress-monitoring tools, and decision rules districtwide.
Phase 3: Implement & monitor (beginning next school year): deliver supports with fidelity; use routine data checks to intensify, modify, or exit interventions.
These actions are paired with professional learning, coaching, and high-quality instructional materials across birth-K, K-5, and 6-12. The CLSD grant supports this work with an infusion of about $1.25 million over five years.
Connected to the Strategic Plan
“Our non-negotiable is growth for 100% of students,” Hajek said. “We care about where every child is today and where we must help them go next. MTSS-A, aligned to Nebraska literacy goals and supported through CLSD, gives our teachers the system and tools to make that expectation real in every classroom.”
The work directly supports CPS’s Strategic Plan and Profile of a Graduate. Leaders acknowledge the district is not yet at the plan’s overarching goal; this year’s literacy and MTSS-A build-out is designed to close that gap with clearer goals, funded training, and consistent progress checks in every building.
“Our CPS families can expect their students to receive more frequent updates on reading progress, consistent practices for screening, interventions, and progress monitoring, and individualized targeted support to continue to grow — every week, every month, every year,” McDowell said.