Hoosac Valley Elementary Finding Success
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley Elementary School Principal Michele Colvin says despite all the changes in the district, the elementary school is unifying and thriving.
"When we started out the school year it was about rebuilding and we had to rebuild our identity as Hoosac Valley Elementary," Colvin told the Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee on Monday. "The way that the staff has come together is nothing short of extraordinary ... the kids are happy, and we are getting a lot of positive feedback from families."
The School Committee voted to close Cheshire Elementary School and send Cheshire students to C.T. Plunkett in Adams — now rebranded as Hoosac Valley Elementary to match Hoosac Valley High School.
Colvin said the school had to reinvent itself and even created a new mascot, the "Lil’ 'Canes," and a new motto, Together Everyone Achieves More or TEAM.
The faculty can bring in the shirts of their choice and the new logo and motto will be printed on it.
"It is important to have that kind of pride in your school and in your culture and the teachers have been great with coming on board with that," Colvin said.
Superintendent Robert Putnam noted that although any color shirt would work, faculty should probably bring in something red, the Hoosac color.
Colvin also noted in her presentation of the school's turnaround plan that this year's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores are promising. The so-called MCAS 2.0 are something of a combination of the old MCAS tests and a newer online system the state had been considering to replace MCAS.
"So in a year when they have raised the bar and they have changed the test ... we are really showing some good direction here," she said. "We are not busting through the ceiling, but we are going in the right direction."
Colvin was referring to student growth percentiles that were on average increased 10 to 30 points across the grade levels.
Both Cheshire and Adams' students scores were combined in the presentation and both schools showed similar growth.
She said because the so-called MCAS 2.0 is new, districts have been held harmless and will not be leveled by the state. The spring test scores will serve as the baseline for schools moving forward. However, the trajectory shows that the school is moving out of a level 3.
"We all know it takes more than one year for data to get out of level 3 ... but for the first time we are above the cut point in all three grades in math and in [English language arts]," she said.
She said she attributed the success to the efforts of all teachers and the Bay State Reading Initiative.
"The teachers have been working extraordinarily hard I could not be more proud of my building this year," the principal said.
Chairman Paul Butler said he expects the score will only improve.
"This data does not show the changes we have made this year so that is even more exciting," he said. "We are moving in the right direction and even last year with all of the upheaval you could sense that."
Tags: little hoosac, MCAS,
