State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Highlights Literacy Success at Tracy Elementary in Baldwin Park Unified School District

BALDWIN PARK—Today, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond visited Tracy Elementary School in the Baldwin Park Unified School District to celebrate students and educators returning to school and highlight the school’s strong literacy culture and standout student growth.

“This school and district truly lead the way when it comes to advancing student success,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “Their practice of integrating screening and coaching, components of California’s Approach to Literacy and Biliteracy, is producing results. The confidence and joy that come from reading are something students can carry with them for life.”

Tracy Elementary is one of California’s best examples of the power of literacy supports and intervention and how they benefit students. Last year, Tracy Elementary saw an increase of 6.4 percentage points in English language arts/literacy, outperforming the statewide increase of 1.8 percentage points.

During the visit, Superintendent Thurmond participated in a classroom reading with a second- and third-grade class and toured classrooms and school facilities alongside student leaders and school administrators. Superintendent Thurmond also celebrated Claudia Barba, Literacy Coach at Tracy Elementary, who was recognized for her extensive service to education and leadership in literacy instruction, translating complex reading research into practical classroom strategies. The Structural Literacy Luminary Award is a recognition given by the Los Angeles County Office of Education to educators who demonstrate exceptional leadership in evidence-based reading instruction and structured literacy.

Superintendent Thurmond has proposed a five-year literacy plan to ensure that every child is reading by third grade. This plan contains key strategies proven to improve literacy and would represent the most significant investment and first long-term literacy plan in recent California history. The plan comes as the 2026–27 California budget includes $350 million in one-time funding to support literacy coaches and reading specialists and $40 million for literacy screenings for reading difficulties like dyslexia.

Superintendent Thurmond is continuing to advocate for an ongoing commitment to funding all aspects of literacy supports to advance literacy gains statewide. This builds on California’s Approach to Literacy and Biliteracy, with decades of educational research applicable to our culturally and linguistically rich and diverse student population, including the science of reading and literacy and the science of learning and development.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100