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Wisdom Ridge principal reports enrollment growth, I‑Ready gains and new Ridge Connect homeschool partnership
Summary
Principal Susan Smith told the school board Wisdom Ridge Academy grew its alternative learning enrollment, increased eighth‑grade I‑Ready math proficiency from 20% to 59% in a small cohort, and launched Ridge Connect to partner with homeschool families for hybrid supports.
Principal Susan Smith presented the annual report for Wisdom Ridge Academy, the district’s alternative learning experience (ALE) school, describing expanded course designations and the new Ridge Connect homeschool partnership.
Smith said Wisdom Ridge uses multiple delivery designations (online, in‑person/site based and remote) and that the school has worked to increase on‑campus participation for diagnostic I‑Ready testing to better track student growth. She reported an increase in eighth‑grade students meeting grade‑level math expectations on I‑Ready diagnostics from roughly 20% in fall to 59% in winter for a small cohort, noting the sample size is limited but that the results signaled progress after targeted interventions and increased family contact.
Smith described Ridge Connect as a homeschool partnership in which families meet weekly with a certificated Wisdom Ridge teacher who coaches parents, monitors progress and provides curriculum guidance. The program will expand hybrid in‑person offerings next year with mixed‑grade cohorts (K–1, 2–3, 4–6) meeting on campus for small blocks of time while continuing home instruction.
Board members asked about out‑of‑district enrollment in the online multidistrict license and how many new students are local. Smith said Wisdom Ridge is a licensed multidistrict online program, which permits students from around the state to enroll online, and said 44 students recently enrolled who were new to Ridgefield School District, including homeschool families opting into Ridge Connect.
Smith also outlined next steps: relaunching CAPS/Innovation Ridge for 11th–12th graders, adding hybrid high‑school and middle‑school math supports, and developing condensed curricula to help returning older students recover credits. The board praised the program’s flexibility and asked administration to provide I‑Ready ELA data when available.
"By framing I‑Ready as a diagnostic or checkup, families were more likely to engage and we saw meaningful progress in targeted cohorts," Smith said. She also recommended using Character Strong materials differently in the ALE setting, potentially as at‑home family activities rather than an in‑school only program.
