Vandenberg staff tout tutoring, attendance and social‑emotional supports after 'bright spot' recognition

Vandenberg Elementary Principal Lisa Hughes told the South Redford School District Board on Tuesday that the school has taken steps this year to support student learning through targeted tutoring, structured small‑group instruction and new attendance strategies.

Hughes said the school saw gains in several M‑STEP scores and was highlighted in a national “Beating the Odds” study that reviewed third‑grade achievement. “We were expected to get 29% and the actual score from the data they looked at was just under 37%,” Hughes said, calling the recognition a testament to staff work in tier‑one instruction and after‑school tutoring.

Teachers and staff described how the building runs daily interventions. Amy Shelby, the school’s reading interventionist, said the school deployed “high‑impact tutoring” and monitored progress with pre‑ and post‑assessments. Joy Burks, who leads attendance efforts, said the school has quarterly incentives and other family engagement strategies to reduce absences: “Our goal is to decrease excessive absences, tardies and early dismissals,” she said, and the building’s daily attendance hovers in the low 90s percent range.

Staff also described social‑emotional supports. Social worker Star Edison highlighted restorative circles, a reset room and mentor supports aimed at helping students regulate behavior and return to instruction. Teachers said daily 40‑minute WIN sessions (small‑group intervention time) have been refined this year to place students in groups that match their instructional needs.

Trustee Daniel Winston and other trustees praised staff commitment while pressing for stronger evidence of sustained gains in later grades. Winston said he is “concerned when I see these fifth‑grade numbers” because elementary outcomes feed into middle school readiness; staff acknowledged more work is needed in upper elementary and outlined plans for targeted instruction and ongoing progress monitoring.

The presentation concluded with staff inviting board members to follow implementation and to receive progress updates. Next procedural steps include classroom pilot observations and return reporting to the board during the implementation cycle.