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Elementary principals highlight preschool expansion, literacy pilots and inclusion work
Summary
Five elementary principals presented program updates on Jan. 28, including preschool expansion that cleared the wait list, literacy curriculum pilots (Into Reading, Benchmark Advance), EST interventions and participation in the New Jersey Inclusion Project (NJIP).
Principals from Collingswood elementary schools used the Jan. 28 board meeting to showcase a range of classroom- and school-level initiatives spanning preschool expansion, literacy pilots, interventions and efforts to strengthen inclusion.
Jen Floyd, Collingswood’s preschool principal, said the district’s PEA grant funds support its full-day preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and noted the Parkview site opened with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 14 and that the new location helped clear the preschool wait list. "We do receive the New Jersey Department of Education's PEA Grant fund funding," she explained while describing program alignment to the state-approved Creative Curriculum and SEL supplements.
Mark Wiltse (Garfield) described district literacy pilots as the district moves from Balanced Literacy toward science-of-reading programs, naming Into Reading and Benchmark Advance as the programs being piloted in specific classrooms and grades. Wiltse said early DIBELS checks showed a marked jump in third- and fourth-grade scores after implementation.
Camille (identified in the transcript as both 'Camille Hinson' and 'Camille Hanson') outlined the district’s Elementary Support Teachers (ESTs) work: targeted Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, training in Morphology Plus (an Orton-Gillingham-aligned approach), small-group instruction and data-driven monitoring with universal screeners. She described Sharp Elementary’s participation in Phase One of the New Jersey Inclusion Project (NJIP) and said staff and families will be involved before any Individualized Education Program (IEP) changes are made.
Principals also highlighted math supports: the new elementary use of the MAP Growth adaptive assessment and Reflex Math for fact fluency, which provide reports teachers can use to tailor instruction. Stephen Smith (Mark Newby) described attendance strategies to combat chronic absenteeism, citing the state threshold (10% of days missed) and school-level recognition programs, family-liaison support and community interventions.
Brian Kulak closed the presentations emphasizing positive school culture, staff recognition programs and the ROAR initiative (Respect, Ownership, Achievement, Responsibility) as foundational to learning and safety. Board members thanked the principals for the updates and applauded expansion of preschool access and inclusion-focused work.
