Bristol Elementary School Recognized Nationally For Student Math, Reading Improvements

BRISTOL, RI — Rockwell Elementary School in Bristol earned national recognition for its students' growth in reading and math this past school year.

National education company Curriculum Associates named Rockwell Elementary School a"Super Stretch" school, a distinction given to just 170 schools nationwide for helping put students who had been below grade-level on a path to proficiency.

School Principal Tara McAuliffe said Rockwell Elementary received the honor after having its students use the learning program i-Ready. The online learning program helps teachers identity students' skills and areas for growth, to give the children personalized and relevant instruction through game-like learning activities, in both individual and group settings.

"I'm just proud of the hard work the students put in, and the teachers put in," McAuliffe said Friday in an interview with Patch. "We used I-ready as a target to their personal needs. It’s not the entire curriculum, but it sets a standard for personal growth. "We're trying to make up some COVID gaps and make sure children are going ahead in their grade level."

McAuliffe said the school tries to make up for pandemic interruptions to learning by having the students not only catch up in their own areas for growth, but also uses i-Ready to set stretch goals that push students to learn even more. Students achieving below proficiency are pushed towards proficiency, while students already at proficiency in math and reading are pushed towards achieving advanced results for their grade level.

The stretch growth progress is how Rockwell Elementary School became a national "Super Stretch" school. To qualify for the Super Stretch school recognition, schools must have at least 200 students and have 55 percent or more students reach stretch growth levels in reading and mathematics. McAuliffe said the students at Rockwell Elementary School reached 64 percent.

"Stretch Growth goes beyond the typical learning trajectory by providing students with ambitious yet attainable pathways to reach grade-level proficiency," Emily McCann, the senior vice president of educator community at Curriculum Associates, said. "Closing the learning gap and reaching this goal at the school level is no small feat. We congratulate all of the educators, students, and families at the Super Stretch Schools for their hard work and dedication, which contributed to this exciting accomplishment and recognition."

And one of the best parts is the students seem to enjoy the program, McAuliffe said. She said the students do not necessarily know they are getting different work from their peers based on their individual needs. Most of them just view it as an enjoyable computerized activity.

"I think i-Ready has kind of captured, that there are more things that feel like games, engaging with kid characters, not trying to bog a child down," McAuliffe said. "They take their grade level math class then they do this extra 40 minutes in addition. They try to make it engaging, and I think the kids do like it."

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