Whitehall Elementary Principal Check-In

Greetings Trojan community! Here we are in the middle of February already. I suppose that the lack of winter weather has made the time fly by a little faster, but it is hard to believe that we are nearly midway through the third quarter! In the past four weeks, we have completed our second of three district-wide assessments. You have heard your students refer to the MAP tests.

The results of the winter MAP tests indicate that Whitehall Elementary had an average growth in the Median Score of nine points in Math, nine points in Reading, and four points in Language Arts. Additionally, in Reading, the number of students who are above grade level increased from 53% in the fall to 54%, while the percentage of students at or above grade level in Language Arts increased from 65% to 75%!

Grade-level data meetings have occurred throughout the district. In these meetings, we collectively review student achievement data and create a collaborative plan to provide specific interventions or enrichments to help students grow within each subject. Sometimes this looks like reviewing the materials with students who need it or perhaps providing more challenging activities for students who are excelling.

The key takeaway from this is that your child’s teacher is working very hard to meet your student where they are academically and provide him or her with the specific tools and instruction for them to experience academic growth.

We have experienced district-wide growth for a couple of reasons. First, the teachers know what to look for embedded in the assessment data. They directly apply what the tests show them to each student’s academic needs. Second, we use the MAP tests regularly and with fidelity. They are a critical assessment that we do three times per year to help guide our instructional practices. Finally, our community of parents play a key role in student success. When you take the time to review the schoolwork sent home, attend parent-teacher conferences, keep up-to-date on SeeSaw, and keep open communication with your child’s teacher we have a spectacular alliance with the all-important and collective goal of helping each and every child find academic success. Thank you, parents! It’s exciting to be a Trojan!