Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Longfellow principal says discipline changes cut out-of-school suspensions and boosted reading gains
Loading...
Summary
At the March board meeting, Longfellow Elementary Principal Mister Moore credited a 'championship language' behavior framework, vertical alignment of standards and community partnerships with cutting out-of-school suspensions from roughly 105 to 28 and producing midyear reading gains in K–3.
Muncie — Longfellow Elementary’s principal, Mister Moore, told the Muncie Community Schools board that a coordinated shift in classroom language and expectations has coincided with a sharp drop in out-of-school suspensions and measurable early reading progress.
"I want every child from preschool to fifth grade to understand: 'I'm smart. I'm excellent,'" Mister Moore said while presenting the school’s approach to behavior and instruction. He described a 'consequence ladder' and a broader effort to use what he called "championship language" to set consistent expectations across classrooms and with families.
Moore told the board that the school’s out-of-school suspension count fell from about 105 last year to 84 earlier in the school year and is now 28 for the August–February window. He said staff expect forthcoming test-score results to reflect the change in classroom climate.
The presentation also highlighted vertical alignment of standards—laying out how kindergarten expectations progress through fifth grade—and early reading diagnostics showing gains from fall to midyear. Moore cited K–3 diagnostic shifts (for example, midyear green-status percentages increasing to 41% in one cohort) as evidence that instructional adjustments are producing results.
Students participated: several read the Longfellow vision statement and student council president Marcela White described student-led activities such as fundraisers and spirit weeks. Moore described community partnerships, including a pen-pal program with Ball State University and a Ball State scholarship that supports a Longfellow student, Omari Burks.
Board members praised the presentation and asked clarifying questions about the diagnostic color scheme (green = at/above grade level; yellow = caution; red = behind) and how the discipline language is communicated to families. The board did not take formal action on the presentation; it was given for information.
Moore closed by noting the presentation materials (including a short LES video produced by students) are available through the school’s communications channels and thanked staff, students and families for their work.
