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Richmond Community Schools recognizes instructional teams after reported test-score gains
Summary
At a board meeting, district leaders and administrators highlighted improvements on standardized tests and introduced elementary and secondary instructional teams and coaches who supported that work.
Richmond Community Schools leaders used a board meeting to publicly recognize elementary and secondary instructional teams and literacy coaches for student gains on standardized tests.
District presenters introduced members of elementary and secondary instructional leadership and thanked them for the work that supported students’ achievement. District staff said the district recorded notable growth on state-aligned assessments, describing some early-grade gains as “double the state average,” and highlighted continued work to raise scores where gaps remain.
The presentations named multiple building-level instructional staff who were in the meeting: Amy Van Millsworth (literacy coach), Nicole Vanderbilt (principal, Fairview), Sean Thrasher (literacy coach, Fairview), Kristen Ross (literacy coach, Star Elementary), Sarah Vance (instructional staff, Star), Celeste Johnson (instructional coach), Ray Wolfie (principal, virtual high school), Steven Hensley (principal, Hitter program building), and TC Klushman (instructional coach, Dennis). Board members and district leaders acknowledged the work of literacy cadre coaches and instructional coaches districtwide.
Board members praised the deliberate focus on reading, math and science curriculum changes at both elementary and secondary levels. One board member said the gains at the secondary level were “quite impressive” given the difficulty of raising percentages at those grades. Several trustees and speakers also emphasized that, while growth has been noted, “we have work to do” to reach the district’s targets.
District staff described planned next steps including continued curriculum implementation, onboarding of new administrators and teachers, and ongoing professional development led by instructional coaches. The meeting also referenced a forthcoming RCS care closet at Richmond High School to provide coats, shoes and supplies to families, an example of the district’s partnership work that supports students outside the classroom.
The recognition portion of the meeting included staff introductions across multiple buildings and ended with trustees thanking the teams for their work and encouraging continued progress.
