Last evening the Board of Trustees heard a report on the school improvement plan at Webster Elementary. The population at Webster has changed over the years. Webster is now over 40% free and reduced, 14% Hispanic, 6.5% multi-racial.
On the 2004 ISTEP, 84% of the third graders, 92% of the fourth graders, and 87% of the fifth graders passed the math portion.
In Language Arts, 89% of the third grade, 88% of the fourth grade and 87% of the fifth grade passed.
The disaggregated data shows that free and reduced students passing the math portion of the ISTEP have moved from 48% in 2002 to 81% in 2004. Similar gains were reported in writing and reading.
In 2004, 88% of the ESL students passed math and 76% passed Language Arts. Two non-English speaking students who entered the second grade in October passed the ISTEP the following September.
Given the composition of the student body and the corresponding results, is it a miracle? The staff at Webster is highly focused in teaching reading, writing and problem-solving. It was reported to the board that instruction is adjusted based upon individual needs. The staff has set high expectations for the students. Discipline is not done to students; they are taught how to discipline themselves. All staff members are on the same page. Staff members think in terms of “what can I do to impact the achievement of students?” and not “what can students or parents do?”
The staff takes great pride in their student’s achievements. Was there a miracle on South Michigan? We think not. We think the results are the efforts of a dedicated, experienced, and devoted staff.
Some districts send staff representatives to Texas and North Carolina to see examples of diverse schools that achieve at a high level. In Plymouth, all we have to do is go south on Michigan street.
To the Webster staff, thanks for all you do for kids!
1 comment:
I'm not up to date on some of the terms used in this article. Perhaps others might also benefit from an explanation of "free and reduced".
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