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Elementary and middle schools report gains, expanded tutoring and community partnerships
Summary
Principals from multiple Caswell County Schools presented mid-year academic updates showing pockets of growth on diagnostic checks, increased tutoring and after-school programs, use of communication platforms to reach families, and grant-funded STEAM and arts activities.
Several Caswell County Schools principals reported mid-year academic updates and school initiatives at the board meeting, noting diagnostic gains, expanded tutoring, and community partnerships aimed at boosting student outcomes.
Oakwood Elementary reported increases in several benchmarks and described targeted tutoring and intervention blocks; the principal said teachers and instructional coaches are using EVOS and DIBELS data to guide interventions and professional development. Oakwood also noted school events planned for March through May and that two shared tutors work three days per week to pull students for remediation. The principal said one teacher exceeded growth in reading based on EVOS and that the school is using materials from a grant-funded counseling program to support student behavior.
South Elementary highlighted strong math growth for a cohort of fourth graders, reporting that 73% of fourth-graders demonstrated more than 50% of expected annual growth on i-Ready math benchmarks and that the school anticipates a substantial increase in predicted EOG proficiency for that cohort. South reported 33 students in targeted after-school tutoring and a Title I purchase of a program for fact fluency. Staff stability improved there: the principal said the 3—5 staff vacancies had been filled with certified teachers.
North Elementary's principal, Avery Otis, said the school offers both daytime and after-school tutoring and reported roughly 70—75 students participating in after-school tutoring across grades two through five. He also described community partnerships providing supplies and services and several upcoming school events.
Steady Creek Elementary reported multiple grants and partnerships: a $25,000 STEAM-after-school grant, $22,500 from Piedmont Electric for multicultural and outdoor-garden projects, and a $10,000 NC Arts Council drumming residency. The principal said check-in benchmark data show growth in some grades and that the school is using ClassDojo and other communication tools to engage families, including a bilingual outreach component for a growing Hispanic student population.
Dillard Middle School (presenter identified as Mr. Wilson) and other schools reported mixed diagnostic results: the district saw modest gains on some I-Ready and mClass measures, with remaining numbers of students below grade level in places. Principals described targeted small-group instruction, retired-teacher tutors in classrooms, and school events to celebrate growth.
Several principals also described expanded use of TalkingPoints or similar platforms to reach families; one principal said 99% of families were reachable via the platform and that teachers sent more than 1,000 messages to families in 30 days, with families responding roughly 865 times. Multiple speakers said transportation had not been a barrier to attendance at after-school tutoring where it was offered.
Collectively, principals emphasized: weekly data dives, targeted interventions informed by diagnostics (EVOS, DIBELS, i-Ready, mClass), community partnerships for supplies and programming, and a focus on staff stability and professional development.
