News

Lewis and Clark’s leadership and staff have focused on identifying student learning gaps. This new focus has helped the school to see increases in both reading and math scores. 

Last school year, Lewis and Clark’s overall proficiency improved 14 percentage points from the fall to the spring. Also, the school’s growth improved eight percentage points in the same time frame.

“Last year, one of the things we started doing was having teachers take closer looks at their MAP data. We wanted to identify student gaps and form small groups for each subject,” said Principal Lori Gregory. 

Forming these groups allow teachers to do pull-outs throughout the school year. During these sessions, the teachers can focus on teaching particular skills. 

“Teachers were able to hone in on those students to help feel the gaps in their learning and get them where they need to be,” said Lori. 

Also, the school has added two programs: Reading Partners and Empower. Reading Partners is a tutoring program used in multiple schools throughout the district in which volunteers are consistently reading with students weekly. Reading Partners is currently serving over 50 students at Lewis and Clark. 

Empower is a program that allows teachers to train and work closely with each other. Lewis and Clark have two teacher leaders who go through training in foundational skills and math. Those leaders, in turn, will bring those skills back and share them with others.

“They practice, internalize, and collaborate on the lessons. It helps them to perfect the skill,” said Lori. 

The teacher leaders meet with other teachers about 90 minutes a week and work on ways to improve teaching the curriculum. 

The school also attributes the gains to their work in social-emotional learning. When students can control their emotions, it helps them focus on learning. This work has also helped the teachers build meaningful relationships with students. 

“Our teachers are very top-notch, highly trained, the best I’ve ever worked with. These teachers are very effective, and they have a heart for their kids. Our students are our why,” said Lori. 

The Lewis and Clark team looks to continue to foster positive relationships and prepare students for life. To learn more, please visit the academics page.