Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Performance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Ward Elementary principal highlights four years of improved student writing; staff recognized
Summary
Principal Molly Carl told the board that collaborative planning and tailored instruction drove improvements in West Ward Elementary students' writing over four years, citing M-STEP ELA and Passage Based Writing data; several staff were recognized for their work.
Molly Carl, principal of West Ward Elementary, presented to the Allegan Public Schools Board on Jan. 12, 2026, to highlight progress in student writing over the past four years.
Carl said the school has seen writing gains measured by M-STEP ELA scores and Passage Based Writing score data, attributing improvement to collaborative planning and tailored writing instruction implemented at the school. She recognized several staff for their contributions to that work, specifically naming Tammy Sternberg, Zach DeGraaf, Kelly Fales, Allison Thornton, Marcy Beyer and Alyssa Godwin.
The board also used the meeting to acknowledge the years of service of board members: Mary Kasprzyk (17 years), Vicki Knuckles (16 years), KD Lake (10 years), Christopher Hodge (6 years), Drew Isola (4 years), Amanda Nash (4 years) and Brad van Melle (2 years).
The presentation was part of the organizational meeting agenda, which otherwise focused on officer elections, committee appointments and routine approvals. No public comments were offered during the meeting's public participation period.
