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Monte Cristo Elementary presents writing-focused overhaul; students, teachers point to measurable gains
Summary
Principal Maria Losi told the board Monte Cristo Elementary focused this year on writing structure after assessment data showed low strand scores; teachers introduced daily quick writes, writer’s notebooks and workshop instruction and students described higher engagement after an author visit and family literacy night.
Monte Cristo Elementary Principal Maria Losi presented the school’s yearlong literacy effort to the Granite Falls School Board on April 22, saying staff prioritized writing structure to raise student performance across Smarter Balanced Assessment writing strands.
Losi told the board that when staff disaggregated SBA strand data they found "91% of our students across the school only scored one point in structure for opinion writing," with 58% scoring one point in narrative structure and 75% scoring one point in informational writing. She said teachers focused first on structure instruction (hooks, paragraph organization and transitions), using mentor texts, workshops and daily quick‑write practice so students have a repeatable framework for test prompts and classroom writing.
Students and teachers described concrete classroom practices and community activities. The school held a Family Literacy Night with interactive stations and a book exchange; the booster club purchased a signed copy of visiting author Dave O'Hara’s book for every classroom. Several students spoke to the board about growth: Clark said the author visit reinforced a desire to write and reported progress on a personal book; other students described improved confidence with transitions and paragraph structure.
Teachers credited principal leadership and new routines for gains in engagement. Practiced strategies included modeling lessons in classrooms, conferring during independent writing time, daily three‑minute quick writes, and writer’s notebooks to collect mentor examples and student drafts. One teacher said the model allowed teachers to shift from "assigning writing" to explicitly teaching the writing process.
On assessment timing, Losi said the strand data she cited came from the Washington Comprehensive Assessment portal and that spring SBA testing will occur in May; i‑Ready reading results are currently being used as a leading indicator. Losi told the board she expects updated results to be available after May testing and that teachers are already noting progress on interim assessments.
Next steps: the school will continue refining the writing sequence, track strand performance after May testing, and share results with the board at a future meeting.
