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Sixth-grade teachers report strong academic, social growth and new reflection-based incentives
Summary
Sixth-grade teachers told the board that their reflection system and incentive activities produced notable gains: 20 of 38 students made competency growth, 25 made ELA gains, and the class achieved notable I-Ready growth tied to a goal of 85%. Teachers described behavioral and confidence improvements.
Sixth-grade teachers Amanda Daphdoli and Ashley Rainey told the Henniker School Board their cohort showed measurable academic and social gains this year after the team implemented a reflection system tied to periodic incentives.
"This year, the sixth grade has made incredible growth," said Amanda Daphdoli, sixth-grade math and science teacher. She and Ashley Rainey, sixth-grade language-arts and social-studies teacher, said they set an ambitious I‑Ready growth goal with students, and that students collectively achieved the goal: "They set the goal with us for 85%, and that was a high goal for them. But they made 85% growth in both ELA and math," Rainey said during the presentation.
Teachers told the board the team uses a reflection form at the end of every class block for students to self-rate and identify specific areas for improvement. The team stacks student reflections so staff can track individual progress and hold short conferences to coach improvement.
The teachers reported additional measures of progress: 20 of 38 students made growth in one or more competencies in overall grading, and 25 of 38 made growth in ELA competencies. They noted 44% of sixth-grade students were on plans (IEP, 504 or behavior plans) and said the co-teaching and team approach helped reduce stigma and provided continuity for students.
To reward progress and reinforce engagement, staff described incentive activities—field-house game sessions, indoor rock-climbing at Vertical Dreams, a drive-in movie day and other experiential rewards—tied to multi-week growth windows. Teachers said roughly four students were unable to attend the first trip due to last-minute issues and that current pacing extends the first goal window to about four weeks to accommodate schedule changes.
Board members praised the collaborative approach and asked whether the teachers could replicate the model in other grades and across classrooms. The teachers said the approach is portable and that collaborative structures and a consistent focus on executive-functioning skills could help other grades.
