Sweeney Elementary highlights bilingual model, shows midyear student gains

Sweeney Elementary Principal Melissa Kovac told the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education on Jan. 16 that the South Side dual-language school has made measurable midyear gains and has moved from a CSI designation to a traditional school.

Kovac said Sweeney serves 267 students in an 80/20 bilingual model, has 11 bilingual classes and one vacancy for a bilingual educational assistant. ‘‘We really focused our instruction to standards-based grading…we elevated our PLCs,’’ Kovac said, describing staff collaboration, unit planning support from district curriculum staff and targeted interventions. She reported a decrease in students performing three or more grade levels below standard: reading down 20 percentage points and math down 10 percentage points from fall to midyear.

Kovac credited community partners — Communities in Schools, National Dance Institute, Cooking with Kids, Santa Fe Chamber Music and Adelante — for helping meet students’ basic and social-emotional needs before instruction begins. Three Sweeney students — Jaya Harris, Alexander Ramirez and Abby Varela — described favorite programs including after-school activities, Cooking with Kids and music, and told the board they appreciate teachers who ‘‘care about the students.’’

Board members congratulated Kovac, her staff and the students for the progress and for bringing students to speak. Board President Abeyta and members noted the importance of attendance and supports that allow students to benefit from instruction.