Progress
Today marks the official last day of school for Mike and I. It was a great year. Mike was able to spend 2/3 of his day teaching advanced 8th graders which he was really happy about. The advanced 8th grade curriculum is the same as the 9th grade curriculum which Mike really likes teaching (this is what he taught during student teaching but hasn't been back to it until last year). Mike and his team also raised the proficiency scores for their 8th graders by 10% this year which is definitely something to celebrate.
As for me, saying this year was great is actually quite an understatement. If you recall from previous posts my school is in the midst of large scale changes, the largest change of note is raising our proficiency scores quite drastically. Last year, we did not experience the success we anticipated or needed but this year... this year, we did. We raised our whole school score by 15%, our 4th graders improved by 18% and our 5th graders improved by 20%! It was such a spectacular feeling to see these gains and even more exciting to share it with our teachers. Finally we feel we're getting somewhere. We still have a long way to go but to know we're heading in the right direction is a great feeling.
Of course, I can't ignore the very best part of all of this... the kids. When I say we raised proficiency scores it's more than just scores on a test, it's validating success for kids. More of our students, both at my school and at Mike's, are learning what they need to in order to succeed next year and beyond. They talk about their future, their goals, and their dreams because they know they can make it happen. What makes it even better... these are kids many think can't achieve. Luckily, we're not those people and I can't wait to see what the years ahead have in store for us and our students.
And now... it's time for some well deserved r & r. Here's hoping we actually squeeze some in even with a newborn, ha! Happy Summer everyone!!
As for me, saying this year was great is actually quite an understatement. If you recall from previous posts my school is in the midst of large scale changes, the largest change of note is raising our proficiency scores quite drastically. Last year, we did not experience the success we anticipated or needed but this year... this year, we did. We raised our whole school score by 15%, our 4th graders improved by 18% and our 5th graders improved by 20%! It was such a spectacular feeling to see these gains and even more exciting to share it with our teachers. Finally we feel we're getting somewhere. We still have a long way to go but to know we're heading in the right direction is a great feeling.
Of course, I can't ignore the very best part of all of this... the kids. When I say we raised proficiency scores it's more than just scores on a test, it's validating success for kids. More of our students, both at my school and at Mike's, are learning what they need to in order to succeed next year and beyond. They talk about their future, their goals, and their dreams because they know they can make it happen. What makes it even better... these are kids many think can't achieve. Luckily, we're not those people and I can't wait to see what the years ahead have in store for us and our students.
And now... it's time for some well deserved r & r. Here's hoping we actually squeeze some in even with a newborn, ha! Happy Summer everyone!!
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