Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elementary Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plainfield principals describe math‑focused interventions and new reading resource at elementary schools
Summary
Principals from six Plainfield 'greenhouse' elementary schools told the Curriculum & Technology committee March 19 about daily Power Math blocks, use of learning specialists and Title I interventionists, problem‑of‑the‑week initiatives and a new reading resource that has driven changes in phonics and intervention push‑in.
Principals from six Plainfield elementary schools described classroom strategies they say are producing stronger math fluency and improved reading supports during a March 19 Curriculum & Technology committee meeting.
Sherry Moss (Grand Prairie), Jen Hennigan (Central Elementary), Kelly Gregoire (Riverview), Amy Bauer and Crystal (last name not transcribed) each outlined site practices including a daily Power Math block, a dedicated learning specialist at some buildings, use of Title I interventionists to run math interventions and buildingwide “problem of the week” activities differentiated for K–2 and grades 3–5.
“Math can be fun,” Kelly Gregoire said as she described hallway problem‑solving prompts, estimation jars in the media center and short announcement videos that feature students discussing their thinking. Principals said the learning specialists and interventionists provide materials, model lessons, and give teachers tangible resources they can use the next day. Staff reported increases in math fluency and, in some schools, improved IAR engagement and results in the third quarter.
On reading, principals credited a district reading resource (referred to in the meeting as the new resource and ‘magnetic reading’ in remarks) and expanded phonics instruction for gains at the primary grades; they said a trade‑off in some buildings this year — pulling interventionists temporarily into math to address urgent math needs — may have contributed to lower reading growth compared with the previous year in some grades. Teachers have been using reading specialists to push into general education and to support teachers with rule‑level instruction when questions arise in the new resource.
Why it matters: Principals emphasized that targeted intervention, teacher professional development and curriculum resources are producing classroom changes and that balancing math and reading supports — including staffing assignments for interventionists — affects outcomes.
Ending: Principals asked for continued district support on space, staffing and time to implement initiatives; committee members said they value the building‑level reports and encouraged principals to continue submitting videos and examples for board viewing.
