Forest Ridge reports state report-card gains, highlights ELL improvements and school culture efforts

Forest Ridge Elementary principal-level administrators on Feb. 10 reported gains on the state report card and described targeted interventions the school used to raise student performance, particularly among English-language learners.

Kat and Shaina, identified as new administrators at Forest Ridge, told the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education the school’s state report-card score rose to 69.2, a 4.2‑point increase from the prior year. “Forest Ridge is meeting expectations, and they’re 0.8 away from jumping into the exceeds expectations,” Kat said, citing the district’s published report card.

School leaders said the gains reflect intentional scheduling, small-group interventions, collaborative planning among classroom teachers, special education and ELL staff, and individualized reading plans for K–2 students identified as struggling readers under Act 20. The administrators noted that kindergarten through second grade and 4K classrooms emphasize social‑emotional development alongside early literacy and math.

Kat highlighted subgroup gains among English-language learners: “We have 76 students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade that are identified as EL at Forest Ridge. 18 different languages are spoken,” she said, and cited a 10.8 percentage‑point increase in reading and a 17.9 percentage‑point increase in math for that subgroup in the period covered by the presentation.

The presentation also outlined schoolwide culture programs, including the “Wolfpack Way” behavior expectations, a ticket-based “pack store” and staff-led “pack activities.” The administrators described a staff-organized “Taste of Forest Ridge” event that drew more than 200 attendees representing more than 50 families and celebrated cultural diversity.

Board members and staff in the audience praised the school’s staff and leadership. A teacher in attendance said the administration’s support made classroom instruction more sustainable: “This is the first time I feel like I’m teaching like I can actually teach because of the support that they give us.”

Administrators said their near-term goal is to move the school into the “exceeds expectations” category and that they will continue the strategies that produced the recent gains. The board did not take formal action during the program spotlight; the presentation was recorded as an information item and will be available for follow-up through the district’s staff channels.