Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elementary Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Knickerbocker principal highlights reading and behavior pilots; students present Scrub Club
Summary
Knickerbocker Elementary Principal Ashley Barnhart Berto reported early literacy and behavior pilots (6-step lesson plan, PBIS tier 2 check-in/check-out, PACS) and preliminary DIBELS results showing small growth. Second-graders and staff described an after-school Scrub Club that visited Samaritan Medical Center.
Ashley Barnhart Berto, principal at Knickerbocker Elementary School, reviewed building successes and pilot programs during the Jan. 23 board meeting, citing small preliminary gains on fall-to-winter DIBELS benchmarks and several targeted interventions to support reading and behavior.
Barnhart Berto described a tiered behavior support pilot (PBIS Tier 2 check-in/check-out) for about seven students, a PACS self-regulation pilot across 12 classrooms and a planned rollout of a 6-step reading lesson protocol (grade 1–4) supported by the Reading League. She said staff will use shared intervention groupings—pulling the 12 students who need the most intensive support—and rotate remaining students among teachers to match skill needs.
On data, Barnhart Berto said DIBELS results show a mix of students at and below grade level but “early preliminary results of the data are showing small growth.” When board member asked if specific numbers were students or percentages, she clarified that the figures shown were student counts, not percentages.
The board also heard from Scrub Club, an after-school program that teaches children about medical tools and careers. Staff members and second-grade students described fall sessions that included hands-on activities (blood-pressure cuffs, reflex hammers, bandaging) and a field trip to Samaritan Medical Center. Student presenters said the club met twice weekly, tried medical tools, toured the hospital and heard from health-care professionals. The club leaders thanked the board for approving the program and noted that after-school transportation helped make attendance possible.
Barnhart Berto and teachers highlighted school improvements such as a fully fenced playground for student safety, “welcome” entry passes to soften late arrivals, PBIS assemblies that draw families, and hallway curriculum supports tied to the Uply program.
The principal said kindergarten teachers will begin their portion of the 6-step lesson plan after February break and that the district is tracking spring benchmark data for further results. School staff encouraged the board to tour student artwork posted in the building on their way out.
Provenance: The program report and student presentations occurred during the board-and-staff report portion of the meeting.
