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East Rapids principal reports reading and math gains, cites 74% growth in reading among grades 3–5
Summary
Principal Jill Wheelock told the Grand Rapids school board that winter screening shows reading and math proficiency rising to about 65% (from ~60%) with some grades above the school's 73% goal; she reported 74% reading growth for grades 3–5, 77% math growth, and about 369 office-discipline referrals to date.
East Rapids Elementary Principal Jill Wheelock reported to the Grand Rapids Public School District board that winter screening data show gains in reading and math and that several grades have already surpassed the school's 73% proficiency target.
Wheelock said schoolwide proficiency on an interim Star assessment rose from roughly 60% in the fall to about 65% after winter screening, with some grade levels exceeding the 73% target. "In reading, we've got 74% of our students across 3, 4, 5 showing growth," she told the board, and "in math, that's 77%." The principal said progress-monitoring and tiered interventions (Tier 2 and Tier 3) drove gains and that the school will continue progress checks before spring assessments.
The principal described next-year instructional changes: departmentalizing grades 3–5 with dedicated ELA and math/science teachers, piloting a morphology approach to support vocabulary and comprehension, and adding a fluency component across grades 3–5.
On behavior, Wheelock reported about 369 office-discipline referrals (ODRs) year to date, a decline from the previous year but with a typical uptick in March; she said repeat offenders trigger a data-review threshold and intervention via the school's MTSS process.
Why it matters: the board asked clarifying questions about which grades met the 73% goal (Wheelock said some grade levels — notably fourth grade — met the target), interventions for students who do not progress, and how the school is aligning instructional time to support reading fluency.
The board did not take action on the report; members praised staff work and asked for continued monitoring and follow-up updates.
