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Miracle Elementary reports rapid gains after adopting Building Thinking Classrooms and Kagan structures
Summary
Teachers at Miracle Elementary used Building Thinking Classrooms strategies and Kagan Cooperative Learning to boost fifth-grade math proficiency from about 7% on a pretest to roughly 80% within three weeks, the principal said.
Miracle Elementary showcased a classroom spotlight at the May 14 Maricopa Unified School District meeting, where school leaders described instructional changes they said produced rapid gains in fifth-grade math.
Principal Jennifer Robinson told the board the school's focus on differentiated instruction and scholar agency aligned to the district's strategic plan. Robinson introduced fifth-grade teacher Sean Jones, who led thinking tasks and collaborative work that emphasized standards-based application and student-created problems.
Nut graf: By combining Building Thinking Classrooms strategies with Kagan Cooperative Learning structures and targeted professional learning, Robinson said her team saw a quick rise in assessment results and in students' engagement.
Robinson described the school's process: teachers analyzed state-blueprint standards (AASA), identified prerequisite skills and vocabulary, and adjusted classroom routines and learning spaces. She said the school used funding from site-level vision and project-momentum budgets and partnered with instructional coaches and Kagan training. "Based on their consistent growth from a 7% pre assessment to 80% just within a 3 week period, I've really seen a mastery of the standard," Robinson said. Jones led students through two thinking tasks (MathMakers and AASA All-Stars) that asked students to create culturally relevant, standards-aligned application problems and to work at higher Depth of Knowledge levels.
Board members praised the work and asked about scaling and challenges. Robinson said a key early challenge was shifting students' expectations after years of traditional instruction; teachers addressed that by "defronting the classroom," giving students vertical workspaces and more agency, and by running a voluntary book study to share strategies. Trustees asked for plans to expand Building Thinking Classrooms into earlier grades; Robinson said preschool through second grade and special-area teachers will begin a book study in the fall, and Kagan coaching is scheduled for the district in October.
Ending: The board saw the presentation as a demonstration classroom; members recommended sharing the practice districtwide if outcomes remain consistent.
