Sunset Avenue principal Vanessa Brown can regularly be found walking through classrooms and providing teachers with feedback on the effectiveness of their instruction. It’s one of the many strategies implemented by the administrator to help with student achievement.

The school, along with Butler Avenue School, was recently recognized for exceeding student growth on End of Grade testing for the 2017-18 school year. Sunset Avenue was also the only school in the district to earn a performance grade of a B, while other schools earned a C.

Butler Avenue’s overall proficiency score was at 65 percent, while Sunset Avenue’s proficiency score was at 70 percent.

Between feedback from administration and feedback from other teachers, student assessment data is being analyzed and teachers are working together to help students make the necessary progress for achievement.

“School administrators are regularly in classrooms providing feedback on the effectiveness of instruction,” Brown explained. “Teachers also give each other feedback on instruction. Teachers meet to analyze their student assessment data and work together in teams to come up with solutions when students are not making progress as expected.”

According to Dr. Kelly Batts, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, the district has implemented several new strategies to help with performance growth and success.

“We implemented a district-wide walk-through process for monitoring instruction, a new instructional framework and a new problem solving model,” Batts said of the strategies the system has used over the last school year. “Last year was our first full year of implementing our elementary Global Schools initiative. Ultimately, success of a school is dependent on strong school administrators, teachers, and supportive community and families.”

Brown’s staff works hard to provide appropriate instruction according to the individual student needs, while making sure the learning targets are very clear to the students and the instruction is tightly aligned to those targets.

“If professional development or individual teacher coaching is needed, the teachers and administrators reach out to central office staff who tailor support to meet their needs,” Brown said. “Everyone in the building takes responsibility for the entire school of children. Students with special needs such as exceptional children (EC), academically intellectually gifted (AIG), and English language learners (ELL) have teachers on staff who specialize in those areas of needs, but they work closely with the core classroom teachers to make sure students are served appropriately throughout the day.”

Just last year, Butler Avenue was recognized for exceeding growth, and missing a B performance grade by one point. At the time, Butler principal Robert Turlington attributed the school’s success to Brown, who was the former principal, as well as the hard work of the staff and students.

Turlington said teachers are utilizing the Daily 5, Guided Math and small group instruction as strategies that have enabled teachers to focus on individual student needs.

“This personalized instruction helped them to differentiate lessons,” Turlington explained. “Our teachers have a strong desire to see all children exceed their potential and be successful citizens and students. Our teachers placed an extreme amount of focus and attention on lessons that would improve literacy and reading throughout all classes.”

At Sunset, Brown said the School Improvement Team regularly checks on the overall school progress and makes adjustments to the plan when necessary.

”Support from parents is the key to helping kids do well academically,” Brown said. “We ask parents to encourage their child to read, helping their child become great readers is one of the most important things that parents can do to help their child succeed in school and in life.“

Butler Avenue School was recently recognized for student achievement, as well as being a PBIS Green Ribbon Award winner for promoting positive student behavior.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_butler-grade.jpgButler Avenue School was recently recognized for student achievement, as well as being a PBIS Green Ribbon Award winner for promoting positive student behavior. Kristy D. Carter|Sampson Independent

Sunset Avenue fifth-grade teacher Darlene Bryant works to individualize instruction to help student achievement.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_sunset-grade.jpgSunset Avenue fifth-grade teacher Darlene Bryant works to individualize instruction to help student achievement. Kristy D. Carter|Sampson Independent

https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_sunset-grade-2.jpgKristy D. Carter|Sampson Independent
City schools recognized for learning growth

By Kristy D. Carter

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Reach Kristy D. Carter at 910-592-8137, ext. 2588. Follow us on Twitter at @SampsonInd. Like us on Facebook.