Each morning, students enter the building and assemble in the gymnasium for our morning greet. A few months ago, in keeping with the second tenet of our vision statement: Recognize and Honor Achievement and Positive Social Behavior, the teachers began recognizing a student of the week from each class. Our students swell with pride as the teachers share with the student body the accolades their student has earned through either effort, academic achievement or helping others. 

We are already seeing the positive impact this is having on students. Usage rates for our students individualized learning paths have increased in both mathematics and literacy. In turn, increased usage has led to gains in literacy and math as noted through our HMH growth report and the Ready Classroom Diagnostic. To wit: 

• in math, twenty-four (24) percent of the students at Washington have already met their growth targets for the year. Of that 24%, 8% met what we term stretch growth, meaning they exceeded their growth targets, demonstrating gains well above average
• in literacy, the number of grade students categorized as Below Level decreased by as much as 30% in some classrooms.