Goodrich Presents School Improvement Plan

teachers and staff are focusing on positive reinforcement and teacher-student relationships to increase student learning.

Goodrich staff presented the school's improvement plan to the District 68 Board of Education at the board's monthly meeting in December. 

Staff focused on three main components of the plan: the 3x3 program, individual spoken reading and positive phone calls home. 

3x3 program 

Every full-time teacher picks three at-risk students to engage in conversation about non-school topics for three minutes a day. These conversations take place while the students are walking to gym or lunch or at any point throughout the day. 

This year's emphasis is on the school's Hispanic students. Last year, teachers were encouraged to engage African American students. 

The program allows teachers to connect with these students. One teacher told the school board she knew her three students better than any others in her class. 

Individual spoken reading 

To strengthen reading skills, no less than once a month every student will read to his or her teacher one-on-one. 

The school's youngest students also get to read one-on-one with Principal Paul Scaletta. 

Positive phone calls 

It's the goal that every student in Goodrich will randomly receive a positive phone call home through the school year. 

It's an intentional practice, Scaletta said, but that doesn't make it any less genuine. 

"It's engrained in parents' minds that when they see the school number come up on their phone, it's negative," Scaletta said. When parents hear the positive news, "they're speechless," he said. 

Last school year, 91.7 percent of students receive positive phone calls home from teachers or staff. So far this year, 98.1 percent of students have received a positive phone call; 18.7 percent have received two or more positive calls home.