Steeby Elementary designated as ‘Reward School’

The Michigan Department of Education has identified Steeby Elementary as a Reward School in its score cards released this week.

The State Department of Education defines a school as a reward school when one or more of the following criteria is met:

· The school is in the top 5 percent of schools on achievement in the Top-to-Bottom ranking, OR

· The school is in the top 5 percent of schools on the improvement metrics, OR

· The school is designated as a “Beating the Odds” school (a school that is outperforming schools with similar demographics).

Schools are assessed on the progress students make on M-STEP, the annual state assessment. In the spring of 2016 Steeby fourth-graders made tremendous growth from the assessment that they took during the spring of 2015 as third grade students.

Across a district, the percentage of students identified as proficient or advanced increased in 12 out of 16 areas tested. Wayland students continue to show significant gains in language arts and math.

Director of InstructionTeresa Fulk said, “All of our schools have implemented the practices of Professional Learning Communities, which are groups of teachers of the same grade level or content area that work together to monitor student growth. Over the course of the year the district uses five early release days so that teachers can work together to refine curriculum and instructional strategies, design and analyze assessments, and plan intervention and enrichment opportunities for students.

“The designation of Steeby Elementary as a Reward School and the demonstrated growth in all of our buildings, is a testament to the hard work of our staff and students to increase academic achievement in our district,” fulk continued. “We will continue to work to ensure that our students graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in college or in a career after high school.”