Teachers recognized for student achievement

Wichita Public Schools is recognizing 12 teachers whose students have demonstrated ambitious growth in early literacy assessments.

In the district’s new strategic plan, WPS strives to make sure students are proficient readers by 3^rd grade. Additionally, the goal is to decrease the number of students scoring a level one on their reading state assessment.

“Educators understand that for a student to pass a state assessment, foundational skills must be mastered,” said Amanda Sharshel, WPS executive director of elementary curriculum and instruction.

These foundational skills include knowing letter names and letter sounds in kindergarten, nonsense word fluency in first grade and oral reading fluency in 2^nd-5^th grade. These are what our early literacy assessments measure.

The district assesses early literacy screeners three time a year and measures progress from fall to winter and winter to spring, looking for students making ambitious growth along the way.

Once screened, students are placed into four categories: high risk (significantly below the benchmark); some risk (near benchmark), low risk (met benchmark) and college pathway (well above the benchmark).

Maribel Benedict, a kindergarten teacher at Allen Elementary who has taught in the district for 24 years, had 88% of her students achieve ambitious growth and credits her students’ success with making sure she explained and they understood the reading goals.

“You have to tell the kids the ‘why,’” said Benedict. “The kids know we have goals, and they understand that they need to know letter names and sounds for reading fluency. Once they understand the goals, they and their classmates take great pride in them. The students all celebrate each other’s success. I hold myself to high standards, and I hold my students to them as well.”

In addition to Benedict, students in the following teachers’ classrooms also showed high percentages of ambitious growth.  

• Shannon Andres, kindergarten, Adams Elementary School – 85% of students made ambitious growth on letter name and 75% on letter sound.
• Emily Martin, 1^st grade, Kelly Elementary School – 93% of students made ambitious growth on nonsense word fluency
• Taylor Ullery, 1^st grade, Cessna Elementary School – 79% of students made ambitious growth on nonsense word fluency
• Dinah Henry, 2^nd grade, Seltzer Elementary School – 86% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Michelle Mitchell, 2^nd grade, Chisholm Trail Elementary School – 78% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Angela Dooling, 3^rd grade, Riverside Leadership Magnet Elementary School – 100% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Karsyn Rauber, 3^rd grade, Pleasant Valley Elementary School - 80% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Geoffrey Alexander, 4^th grade, Irving Elementary School – 81% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Katie Scott, 4^th grade, Bostic Traditional Magnet Elementary School – 78% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Candy Williams, 5^th grade, College Hill Elementary School – 83% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency
• Jillian Smith, 5^th grade, Isely Traditional Magnet Elementary School – 81% of students made ambitious growth on oral reading fluency