Two Columbus City Schools have recently earned the i-Ready Super Stretch School designation, setting them apart as examples of academic resilience and educational ambition. Alpine Elementary School and Clinton Elementary School received this accolade, which underscores the staff's dedication to student growth in crucial areas such as reading and mathematics and showcases the student's commitment to their educational aspirations, according to the Columbus City Schools' official announcement.
The program i-Ready serves as a diagnostic and instructional aid, gauging student proficiency in fundamental subjects and delivering personalized recommendations for educators to address each child's needs. With a focus on recognizing students below grade level, the tool sets individual goals to expedite their academic progress. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its deleterious impact on education, implements like i-Ready's Stretch Growth targets have become crucial in mitigating the widening achievement gaps.
Achieving the status of a Super Stretch School requires significant student achievement— at least 55 percent of students at the school need to meet their ambitious Stretch Growth goals in reading, mathematics, or both in a setting with over 200 students. Clinton Elementary School's Principal Jesse McKown touched upon this collective effort, "A significant reason [for our success is] the teachers are buying into the program more, which is really beautiful," McKown told Columbus City Schools.
The recognition speaks to the collaborative effort that includes not only the educators, who McKown notes have moved from simply complying with program requirements to wholeheartedly committing to them, but also the students and families who have embraced the journey. Dana Durdil, a fifth-grade teacher at Clinton, emphasized the impact on the students, "Our students are working hard," and praised, "the confidence that they're building is showing. The students are feeling more comfortable with it, passing those lessons, and understanding them," she said in a statement by Columbus City Schools.
The stories of Alpine and Clinton Elementary Schools are significant within the context of the Columbus City School system and resonate as a beacon of what is feasible in academic recovery efforts across schools facing similar challenges post-pandemic. Their achievements give substance to the belief that education can triumph over even the most unprecedented barriers with the right tools, objectives, and concerted efforts.
