CT officials look into why Shelton schools improved in English, math – Shelton Herald

And the success was on full display Friday when state education officials, led by Charles Hewes, the newly named deputy commissioner for academics and innovation, visited Sunnyside School, which earned School of Distrinction honors for high growth in math and ELA for students and high needs students.

“I’m proud of not only what we see here but also at all our schools – from instructional delivery, process with reviewing data, data team discussions to implementation of that data,” said Saranich, adding that other districts have reached out interested in knowing the benefits of the Wit and Wisdom curriculum. 

In June 2021, the Connecticut legislature passed the “Right to Read” legislation, which requires the state to oversee all state and local efforts related to literacy, including setting reading curriculum requirements for districts, providing professional development, hiring external literacy coaches and coordinating with teacher preparation programs. 

As part of the legislation, the state listed only five programs districts can use for their reading curriculum. Districts not using one of the five could apply for a waiver to continue using their specific curriculum model. Shelton did, and Saranich said it was approved without conditions. 

For the second consecutive year, Sunnyside School was joined by Booth Hill School as a School of Distinction in the state’s Next General Accountability Standards — a measure that strives to judge schools on more than just test scores. The results, which were released last month, are for 2022-23. 

Sunnyside School had a score of 80 and Booth Hill School, at 76.6, showed high growth in math for all students and high needs students. 

But it was Sunnyside School’s ELA performance that prompted the recent visit from state education officials, where Principal Darla Lussier said they met with the school’s leadership team and asked about the secret to the school’s success. 

“This was a chance to showcase our teachers … the effort they put in to help all of our students,” said Melissa Manning, the school’s math specialist. “Our methods are not only targeting students who need extra support but also those learners enjoying strong academic performance.” 

The state officials then toured the classrooms and saw the teachers in action. 

“It was a very positive visit for everyone,” said Lussier. “Our teachers all work so hard and it was great to see them be recognized in this fashion. I am a proud principal of both our student’s achievement and of our dedicated staff.” 

She said her staff identified the school’s top strengths as their tier one instructional practices — which is the teacher’s in-class work with students — and their commitment to regular structured data team meetings. 

Manning said these data teams meet once a week with a specific focus for each meeting. The meetings allow teachers and specialists to look at district assessments, scores, curriculum assessments and teacher observational data.  

From there, the specialists coach teachers on forming small groups. 

“That’s where the magic happens,” said Amy Corris, Sunnyside reading consultant. “That’s where you have explicit direct instruction based on a student’s specific needs.” 

“The students gain so much from it,” said Heidi Ferrigno, the school’s reading intervention specialist, about the small group instruction. “Using this method makes it easier to hone in on certain skills and concepts for students.” 

The School of Distinction recognition is given to schools in the top 10 percent of the state for their performance and/or growth as measured by the Connecticut Next Generation Accountability Standards. 

The standards look at 12 indicators, providing a more diverse picture of school performance, including test scores, graduation rates, attendance, physical fitness, arts access and academic growth. 

“I am very proud of the whole BHS community for achieving School of Distinction status,” Principal Dina Marks said. “It shows the hard work of our students, staff and families, all working together towards student growth.” 

Marks said School of Distinction status is particularly difficult to earn for student growth. 

“Our K-4 schools have a great intervention program that targets areas of weakness, and earning an award for growth shows that our intervention programs are working,” Marks said. 

Saranich said while Sunnyside School was the focus of the state visit, all the district’s schools use these methods to help students. 

Wit and Wisdom is a comprehensive English curriculum for students in kindergarten to eighth grade developed by and for teachers, Kristen Santilli, district-wide director of curriculum, instruction and data, has stated in in the past. 

The approach is integrated and text-based, with daily reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar and vocabulary study, all drawing off the text. 

Santilli has stated that Wit and Wisdom helps teachers celebrate the joy of reading and writing with students, while also supporting all learners.

“By reading books they love and engaging meaningfully in their learning, students develop the knowledge and skills they need to be successful readers, critical thinkers and effective communicators who love to learn and can succeed in college and careers,” she said. 

Each unit focuses on a topic essential for building background knowledge, vocabulary and writing skills. For example, students learn about the seasons, the American Revolution, civil rights and space exploration. Santilli said essential topics strategically reoccur, empowering students to deepen their understanding of core knowledge across grades K-8. 

This story has been updated to reflect Sunnyside scored 80.