This year Bay City Academy made a name for itself by scoring in the 83rd percentile on the M-STEP state assessment.
Jill Plant, the K-5th administrator, shared her personal belief as to how this steep academic growth came to fruition. She pointed to two programs recently implemented as the reason behind the grand scale success.
One of the programs, “Great Expectations” strengthened the structure within by creating a road map for teachers to model and teach Character Education, classroom management, rules, procedures and routines. Jill says that adults and students alike have common language now, and hold each other accountable for actions and behaviors.
The other program is a math-based system from IEE called the “The Focused Instructional Model.” Students are exposed to the most critical grade level standards all year long. The procedure takes 10 minutes a day and every two weeks students are formatively assessed on these standards. This process affords teachers the opportunity to collaborate around student work and make instructional decisions based on what the work is depicting. Students take ownership of their data by graphing results and setting goals for themselves.
Jill says that fidelity is the key. Her teachers believe in both of these programs and hold firm with procedure.
Way to Go Bay City Academy! Keep up the great work you do for kids!
Written by Tracey McKenzie
