Tangent Elementary reports enrollment gains, keeps literacy central to strategy

Tangent Elementary reported enrollment growth and a strong, schoolwide focus on early literacy, social‑emotional learning and number sense, principal Gretchen Carter told the board.

Carter said Tangent’s core priority is literacy and described a staffing approach that funnels staff into early grades each morning so every student receives targeted intervention in reading. “Our kindergarten is twice as big as it was last year,” Carter said, adding the school’s ‘‘flood model’’ places every available adult in kindergarten for the first hour to deliver small‑group instruction and intervention.

Carter said Tangent uses a combination of district materials and supplemental tools (including i‑ready-aligned resources and Hegarty for early phonics) and that PBIS and Second Step SEL modules guide behavior expectations. She said a major operational challenge is the absence of an MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) facilitator or instructional coach this year; without that position, teachers and other staff have taken on additional roles.

The principal listed next steps and outreach: family math and literacy nights, increased parent engagement, and efforts to maintain consistent routines so students understand expectations. Carter told the board she will provide more specific assessment data at a later date.

Board members asked about state test baselines and the school’s numerical targets; Carter said fall benchmark data are available but that the school’s leadership team had intentionally limited data in the presentation to emphasize practices and community engagement. She agreed to share concise performance metrics with the board at an upcoming meeting or during informal follow-up.