At Irene Reither Elementary (IRE), the commitment to excellence is evident in the school’s progress in math. This year, IRE introduced a new math curriculum, Eureka2, and the results have been
promising.
“We knew it would make a big impact,” said Principal Tyler Dockins. “It ensures students understand the concepts behind the math, and we’ve already seen significant progress.”
Eureka2 was selected by the Instructional Materials Committee, with input from teachers. Success at IRE also stems from ongoing support by instructional coaches and new assessment systems. Instructional coaches Rebecca Kratzig and Twan Mathijssen co-designed a system that tracks student progress and provides targeted support.
“After each lesson series, we complete a checkpoint to see what students have learned,” Dockins said. “Teachers use this data to give extra support or challenges to students as needed.”
Mathijssen highlighted the interactive nature of Eureka2, which encourages collaboration.
“Implementing a new curriculum is a challenge, but teachers are now appreciating its thoughtful design,” Mathijssen said.
The results speak for themselves. IRE has experienced significant growth in math performance. This year, the expected growth in i-Ready is the highest it has been in the past five years. Since the beginning of this school year, the percentage of students performing at or within one grade level in math has increased from 71% to 82% in just a few months.
The success at Irene Reither Elementary is a result of dedication, teamwork and innovative teaching. The future looks bright for students.