Reading and math interventions getting results at Willow
Wed, 12/18/2024 - 12:49pm
admin
By:
Nate Hudson, staff writer
The Willow Springs R-IV Board of Education held its monthly meeting on December 9. The board heard a presentation on improving student reading and math skills, one from the Interact Club, and discussed ARP.
Mrs. Hopper with the middle school gave the board a presentation on iReady data, RTI, and Student Success Plans. iReady data from the first week of school for reading on grade level: 21% of fifth-grade, 31% of sixth-grade, 39% of seventh-grade and 28% of eighth-grade were at or above grade level. Hopper said the eighth-grade students usually score the lowest of the four grades tested. She explained to the board that student interventions worked for those who needed more help in certain classes. The interventions work off of a tier scale from 1 to 3, with 3 being the most severe need and cover reading and math needs.
Intending to show that interventions work, Hopper said that 8 out of 13 eighth-grade students have moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 or 1 and 5 of 17 sixth-grade students have done the same. The fifth-and-seventh-grade students were still testing at the time of the meeting. The interventions were held during Bear Time during the school day.
Mrs. Hatch, teacher sponsor, introduced three members of the Interact Club to the board on their actions this year. The club has a motto of 'Service above Self' and is a branch of Rotary International. Seniors Emma Wiles, Heidi Wehmer, and junior Logan Mullins made the presentation to the board on what they had done so far this year. The club has been distributing food through the year and packed food for MUNCH (Missourians United to Combat Hunger) on Dec. 12. The club seeks to make a difference in the school by leaving it better, discover new cultures, and become leaders in the community and the school. The students said they were looking at donating to the Nehemiah fund to help install water wells in Pakistan. The club also serves breakfast at the Willow Springs Senior Center every month.
The board heard the data from the 2022-23 school year ARP (Annual Performance Review) for MSIP 6. The board saw that the school is down from the previous two years to 79% from 83% the previous year. While 79% may sound low, the number is comparable to other similar schools, with Cabool having 79.6% and Salem having 78.8%, and higher than West Plains, which is at 64.5% according to the information presented. The data showed that student performance increased from 2023 in science and social studies, steady in math, but down in English language arts (ELA). The students maximized points in science in growth and status and was close to maximizing points in social studies-status. For the year, the school is in the “On Track” category for math and ELA.