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Dudley principal reports double-digit gains in K–2 literacy and math; school celebrates student achievements
Summary
Dudley Elementary Principal Cassandra Query told the Battle Creek Public Schools board the school raised K–2 STAR literacy scores from about 19% in fall 2023 to roughly 40% in winter 2025 and reported STAR Math growth from about 27% to 42%, citing daily interventions, tutoring and family-readership initiatives as key supports.
Dudley Elementary Principal Cassandra Query told the Battle Creek Public Schools Board of Education on April 14 that the school has seen measurable gains in early literacy and math and highlighted new schoolwide traditions intended to boost student engagement.
Query said Dudley has 87 students and a mix of program classrooms — two ECSE (early childhood special education) classes (two morning, two afternoon), two GSRP classrooms, one kindergarten–second-grade cognitively impaired (CI) classroom, two kindergarten classes, two first-grade classes and two second-grade classes. "When I started in the fall of '23–'24 we had about 19% of students at or above grade level," Query said. "In the winter ... we had 40% of our students at or above grade level." She reported math growth as well, saying STAR Math moved from roughly 27% at or above grade level in the fall to about 42% in the winter.
Those results, Query told the board, reflect targeted interventions based on monthly STAR assessment data. Teachers provide 30 minutes daily of interventions for students in the highest-need category; literacy tutors and Title-funded tutors provide additional 30-minute sessions for students in lower tiers. Query said the number of students in the district's "urgent intervention" category fell from 43 when she began to about 19 at the time of the presentation.
The principal described a combination of academic supports and family- and community-focused efforts intended to sustain gains. She outlined monthly Dudley Reading Day visits (church groups, police and high-school volunteers have participated), a schoolwide Reading Grama log whose goal is 2,000 books for the year (the school had read 1,000 at the time of her report), and monthly classroom and building celebrations such as High‑5 Fridays and birthday recognitions. "We are really working on our literacy growth and our math growth and we have made some great achievements since I have been here as the principal," Query said.
Query also described professional development for literacy tutors on programs such as Stepping Stones and Sound Partners, and said the school uses data to group students for targeted support (Title tutors for "orange" group, literacy tutors for "red to orange"). She noted the CI classroom includes kindergarten through second grade and currently enrolls about 11 students.
Board members praised the combination of academic and morale-building work. At least one board member said the presentation "made me smile the whole time," and several asked how the Dudley approaches might be shared if programs transition to other schools. Query said she plans to meet with the principal at Northwestern and to share strategies through the principals' PLC (professional learning community).
The board also recognized two students from Dudley during the showcase and presented certificates and small awards.
Query closed by describing the school's efforts to make learning memorable while maintaining instructional focus: positive office referrals announced on the intercom, student photos on a recognition board, and monthly community reading events. She invited board members and community partners to participate in upcoming Dudley Reading Days and other events.
Board discussion on Dudley occurred during the student showcase portion of the April 14 work session.
