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Calhert Middle School describes literacy, numeracy and belonging initiatives
Summary
Calhert Middle School leaders presented a school improvement blueprint focused on student talk-based learning, increasing IAR typical-growth rates in literacy and numeracy, and restorative approaches to discipline to improve attendance and engagement.
Calhert Middle School leadership presented its school improvement blueprint to the District 131 curriculum committee, with goals centered on literacy, numeracy and cultivating a culture of belonging.
Principal Gibson and assistant principals Anna Heimberger and Veronica Zamora described targets for IAR growth and a year-long focus on student discourse as a key instructional strategy. Heimberger said the school’s literacy goal is to increase students achieving above-expected typical growth in IAR from 15.3% in 2024 to 21.3% by 2026 through research-based strategies that expand student talk and collaborative learning.
Zamora described parallel numeracy goals, citing purposeful questioning, collaboration and cross-linguistic connections to support English learners and students with disabilities. Both assistant principals emphasized structured sentence stems and low-stakes academic discussions so students practice academic language and reasoning.
Dean of students Derek Smith described efforts to build belonging and rethink discipline. Calhert is implementing "behavior academies" as restorative spaces where students reflect, reset and return to class, and staff hold weekly team meetings to address academic attendance and behavior with intentional check-and-connect supports and counselor outreach for extended absences.
School leaders said these initiatives are integrated with professional development and ongoing data review and framed their approach as long-term rather than a single-year initiative. The presentation was informational; no formal action followed.
