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McKinley Elementary tells York City school board: early-literacy push and student data are showing progress
Summary
Students, teachers and administrators from McKinley Elementary presented attendance gains, assessment data and new literacy programs at the Nov. 19 York City School District meeting, highlighting a K–2 focus, a BookBuddy program and teacher-led interventions that officials said are producing measurable growth.
McKinley Elementary presented its year-to-date data and student work to the York City School District board on Nov. 19, with administrators, teachers and students describing steady gains in attendance, earlier literacy and classroom engagement.
"At McKinley, learning goes beyond textbooks," student presenter Valerie Solano told the board, describing classroom supports that helped her exit the English-learner program. Principal Dr. Ashley White said the school’s attendance was 93 percent as of early November, up from about 90.6 percent last year, and highlighted a newly revised purpose statement emphasizing belonging and culturally relevant instruction.
School leaders told the board they are prioritizing foundational literacy in kindergarten through second grade. Dr. White described a recent "midpoint sweep" of Acadience assessments in November so teachers can act earlier on the data rather than waiting until January. She also said a first-grade pilot of an evidence-based reading resource called UFLY had shown positive results and had been continued into second grade.
"We saw growth in every single student in my classroom," said second-grade teacher Laurie Yerger, who said her students improved on interim measures after the pilot. Yerger said one student who previously showed little progress is now reading, calling the change "amazing to see."
Administrators also described programs intended to connect families with school learning, including a BookBuddy initiative to send leveled books home with kindergarten through second-grade students on a rotating basis. Assistant Principal Atara Lehman described data tools the school uses to track family engagement through School Status Connect; she said the school has maintained roughly 84–85 percent family connection across the district platform.
Multiple students spoke to the board and read their own reflections and excerpts from classroom notebooks. Sixth-grader Anne Fenelis said, "McKinley loves everybody no matter what," and other students described how seeing their assessment data motivated them to improve.
Board members praised the presentations. Director Breland said the students’ remarks "speak to the relationships that have been built," and President Kennedy thanked the school for its work. The McKinley team closed by inviting board members and the public to upcoming events, including a Dec. 13 holiday shop for families; no board action was required on the presentation.
The presentation ended with school leaders noting next steps: continued K–2 literacy work, peer observations among teachers starting in December, and focused professional learning cycles to translate classroom conversations into stronger student writing and assessment performance.
