Main Street Elementary School of Arts & Leadership is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by implementing teaching strategies that reveal a positive impact on students' academic achievement. During the 2017-2018 school year, Main Street embarked upon several new initiatives to improve student instruction. The school adopted the iReady and the Ready Curriculum, a rigorous instruction and practice program that fully prepares students for SC Ready. The iReady program, authored by Curriculum Associates, uses an adaptive diagnostic assessment to identify student strengths and weaknesses in reading. The reading diagnostic assesses skills in phonological awareness, phonics, high‐frequency words, vocabulary, literature, and informational text. The math diagnostic assesses skills in number sense & operations, algebra & algebraic thinking, measurement, and geometry. Using data from the diagnostic assessment a personalized learning plan is developed for every student. Teachers used a proven-effective, gradual-release model that ensured students received the modeled and guided instruction they needed to build confidence and mastery of the standards.
A second initiative was the commitment to implementing and using small group instruction with fidelity. Slavin, Lake, and Groff (2010) found that programs that are designed to change daily instructional practices and implement differentiating instruction strategies are most effective. Their research also discovered that small group instruction and cooperative learning have a significant impact on student achievement. Each grade level had an assigned interventionist that pulled small groups based on analysis derived from SC Ready, DRA, and the MAP Assessment. All students identified as Tier II and Tier III students (RTI) were seen by the interventionist four days a week. Classroom teachers also served as interventionist in the classroom through the use of small group instruction.
Each grade level at MSE had an assigned instructional team that included an Assistant Principal or Administrative Assistant, Special Education teacher, Reading/Math Interventionist, ELA teachers, and Math teachers. This allowed each team to focus only on their respective grade level, providing a laser focus on the needs of a few instead of an entire school. It also allowed for collaborative planning and discussion, particularly for struggling students. To promote both communication and collaboration, professional learning communities (PLC) continued to be the norm at Main Street. During PLCs, teachers worked collaboratively with instructional coaches to examine the South Carolina State Standards and develop Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) to meet the needs of students. Teachers continued to participate in weekly meetings where they along with content area coaches analyzed student data, reviewed student work samples, and made plans for addressing weaknesses and strengths.
Implemented during the 2016-2017 school year, the school continued to focus on a school wide sustained silent reading program that was aimed at improving the student’s ability to read and comprehend text. During this block of time, teachers conducted reading conferences and guided the students in focal areas to improve their reading. Teachers worked diligently to make this an enjoyable time for students by soliciting support in purchasing high interest books and reading materials of varying reading levels.
MSE continued to create opportunities for student creativity by affording students opportunities to participate in clubs such as: MSE Dance Team, MSE Tap Classes, MSE Cheerleading, The Gentlemen's Club, Girls with Pearls Club, MSE Chorus, MSE STEM Club, and the South Carolina State Songfest Champions - Beta Club. For the second consecutive year, MSE received the recognition of National Beta School of Merit. The increase in enrollment made MSE once again eligible for this honor. Main Street’s Annual College Day continues to grow larger each year. During this year’s annual event, students were exposed to tailgating, performances by fellow students and staff, college student speakers, and college representatives. This year, at parent request, a parent informational session was added to discuss with parents the importance of literacy on college entry. Main Street’s annual event, Real Men Read, titled this past year as the K.I.N.G.S’ (Knowledgeable Individuals Nurturing Genuises) Day of Reading, helped to bring the community into the school to work with students. During this time, local male officers, pastors, television personalities, high school students and other community members visited classrooms to share their favorite book with students.
Main Street’s administrators, faculty, and staff remain committed to inspiring world class learners by providing world class instruction.
Sharon N. Williams, Ed.D. - Principal
Donna Hodges, SIC Chairperson
