Paul Martin Elementary reports improved achievement, details interventions for ELA gaps

Paul Martin Elementary staff presented student-performance data and school-improvement work to the Campbell County School District #1 board, highlighting growth in overall achievement and ongoing efforts to close gaps in English language arts.

"We are at 69 this year and that is exceeding targets," Brian Brans, academic support, told trustees, saying the school’s achievement rose two points from the prior year. He said fourth-grade math and science showed marked gains and cited a 63.2 percent proficiency rate in a math measure that exceeded the state average.

Brans reported 23 percent of the school’s students (73 pupils) are served through Individualized Education Programs and noted free and reduced-price meal eligibility is about 31 percent. He said the school is in its second year with the Wyoming Department of Education’s PLC-at-Work cohort and described the PLC four-question process that guides instruction and intervention choices.

Trustees pressed staff on an observed dip in ELA growth. Brans and colleagues said they are reviewing tiered instruction, using curriculum specialists and webinars, and continuing targeted interventions at early grades to strengthen foundational phonics and reading skills. One trustee noted that students who missed early instruction during the COVID period were harder to accelerate but praised the school’s work to identify and address gaps.

School leaders said they will continue monitoring data, pursue the district-sponsored Solution Tree training for grade teams, and follow up with trustees on intervention outcomes.