By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Students in the St. Joseph school district are back in the classroom today after Christmas break, ready to tackle the second half of the school year.
Assistant Superintendent of Academics Stacia Studer says the district has been riding the momentum in the first semester off higher scores on its annual performance report.
Studer says she was also grateful for new tools and practices to help provide high quality educators and high-quality resources for students
“We have led a core resource int the English language classrooms in K through six, so that has been a big initiative for our teachers, our elementary teachers in particularly,” Studer says on the KFEQmunnity show. “And then at the secondary level, we have led a high-quality instructional resource with the science, ensuring those high curricular materials at the center.”
Studer says it’s about ensuring classroom instruction is on grade level, even changing assessment practices
“We are not being complacent, we are moving and innovating in our work in academics,” Studer explains. “And so, they had assessment practices where we assign a district level assessment, that’s written on grade level, that helps our educators to see the questions that students are being asked on grade level.”
Students wrapped up the first half of the semester by taking that district level assessment test at each grade level, and to start the second half its time to figure out how they did.
Studer says the district is ensuring all teachers will share those results to start the second semester
“Imagine if you went to take a driver’s license test, and then you didn’t know how you did on that driver’s license test, you just showed up and you’re like ok I don’t know if I passed or failed,” Studer says. “It’s ensuring that our students know, and they’re able to set goals, and that educators can help them reach their goals and that’s the key piece right now.”
Studer says in the mid-year she is focused on making sure students are aware of the results and their goals, and that educators are receiving coaching conversations to help lead students in their goals.
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