- Riley Elementary School is preparing for upcoming state testing which begins on their campus on May 7, 2024.
- Faculty tell me about some of the strategies and measures they have put in place to ensure students are getting the support they need.
- Watch the video to find out about the cross-campus effort helping them achieve their school goals.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Students, teachers, and faculty are hard at work at John G Riley Elementary School as they prepare for upcoming state testing.
I'm finding out about the measures and strategies in-place helping students realize their learning goals.
John G Riley Elementary School is in full preparation mode for upcoming state testing.
"A little stressful, because we have testing coming up and there's like a lot of them," said Camijah Enzor, a fifth grader at Riley. However, she said, she is feeling ready, and has been for a while.
"I'm excited, because I want to pass!" said Enzor.
Faculty here said that's because they've been working consistently towards these tests.
Academic Dean, Gladys Calloway, said that's included collaboration between faculty and students and intervention.
"Looking at areas of strengths and weaknesses and making sure our teachers are well prepared to give great instruction in the classroom," said Calloway.
As well as relationship building and tracking student progress.
"We look at the data and use the data in every situation," said Candace Gautney, Assistant Principal. She explained they follow a 30-day progress monitoring system.
"[That] allows us to see exactly what our students need help with and what they're excelling in," said Gautney.
Gautney said that means they can really hone in on students needs.
"Just being able to have multiple data points, everybody can have a bad day during testing, we don't just want to look at one thing," said Gautney.
Gautney said an obstacle they're currently facing is student absences.
"Our attendance is one barrier that's keeping us from being 100% great all of the time," said Gautney.
She said while they do intervention to help, missing school creates gaps in their instruction.
"We can't pause and reteach every day when are kids out. We have to continue moving on," said Gautney.
Almost at the end of the school year, Gautney and Calloway said tell me it has been so rewarding to see kids take pride in their learning goals and their school.
"If we leave a good reputation, there will be good reviews, a lot of students will come here," said Solanje Rivera, a fifth grader at Riley.
State testing for students like Camijah and Solanje will begin here at Riley on May 7th.
