During a recent government meeting, educators discussed strategies to address academic performance gaps in mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) at Easter School. The meeting highlighted the school's strengths in geometry while acknowledging a significant gap in numbers and operations, prompting a focused effort to enhance these areas.

The educators outlined specific growth targets for students transitioning from kindergarten to first grade. For mathematics, they aim for 80% of students to achieve typical growth, with 34% of kindergarteners and 49% of first graders expected to reach stretch growth. The goal is to elevate the percentage of first graders performing at grade level from 10% to 53% by the end of the year.

In ELA, the school reported a slight decrease in the percentage of students meeting grade-level expectations, dropping from 10% to 9%. Factors contributing to this decline include a higher number of students entering without preschool experience. The school aims to increase kindergarten readiness from 45% to 55% for first graders, with similar growth targets set for literacy skills.

Phonological awareness emerged as a strength, bolstered by the implementation of the Hegarty program, which focuses on phonemic awareness through daily instruction. Despite improvements in phonics, educators expressed concern about ensuring students do not enter middle school with lingering gaps in their foundational skills.

Looking ahead, the school has set ambitious goals: 80% of students are expected to be on grade level in literacy and 60% in math by May 2025. The meeting underscored the commitment to systematic instruction and consistent resource implementation across grade levels to achieve these objectives.