Yet the number of fourth-graders reading at grade level on state tests has jumped from 12 percent to 74 percent in three years. Steps taken to propel those tremendous gains include eliminating field trips and art classes. Indeed, nearly every subject except reading, writing and math is gone. A study of 13,600 schools in four states found smaller schools most benefited poor students. Invest in training.
Successful schools spend lots of money on training aimed at helping kids reach the standards.
In the study of the nearly 400 successful schools, nine in 10 principals used their state standards to guide instruction, test kids and evaluate teachers. It's working at Hoehne Elementary, south of Trinidad. Principal Nancy Degurse said that after each lesson or unit, teachers will use a checklist to ensure each child has grasped the concept. An extra reading teacher was hired specifically to help children who struggle. We'll keep working and doing whatever we need to do to get all of our students at grade level.