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Stony Lane highlights math, science gains while ELA remains a focus
Summary
Stony Lane Elementary told the North Kingstown School Committee it retained a five‑star rating and saw gains in math and science this year, while ELA proficiency fell and will be a priority next year.
Stony Lane Elementary School principal Nicole Hichner told the North Kingstown School Committee on June 17 that the school kept a five‑star accountability rating and exceeded goals in math and science but fell short in English language arts, which will be a focus for 2025–26.
Hichner said Stony Lane “is a 5 star school. It is our third year in a row being a 5 star school,” and highlighted that the school earned full points in attendance and in several student‑safety measures. She told the committee math proficiency rose to 63 percent and science moved from 52 percent to 68 percent, outcomes she attributed to interim assessments and new curricular resources.
The principal said ELA proficiency declined from 62 percent to 58 percent this year. Committee members asked whether declines reflected a single bad year or a pattern; Hichner described curriculum rollout and adjustments, saying the dip followed a period of revising instructional approaches and that the school is shifting toward strategies that engage students and increase practice in writing and inference skills.
Hichner described schoolwide steps taken this year: adoption of the updated Bridges math materials, use of interim science tasks with GEMSNET to build hands‑on inquiry and data interpretation skills, district and building professional development on culturally responsive teaching, and expanded MTSS documentation using Branching Minds. She said staff ran “over 700 assessments” in science this year to help students practice multi‑step tasks and that teachers worked together to calibrate writing scores and to make writing instruction more engaging.
On next steps, Hichner said the school will continue to document tier 2 and tier 3 interventions in ELA, math and social‑emotional learning; expand student voice and presentation opportunities; and roll out more interim science practice for fourth and third grades so students can build independent hypothesis and trial skills.
Committee members thanked staff for the work and asked the principal to return with updated ELA growth data once district results are available.
Stony Lane’s presentation provided the committee with the building’s current accountability snapshot and a description of programmatic changes the school plans for the coming year.
