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Pupils, teachers put pedal to metal
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62 bicycles were given away to Campbell Elementary School's 4th graders who passed all three parts of the 4th Grade OAT.
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Loren Roldan is proudly standing with her 9yr old daughter, Bethzaida. Her daughter is one of 62 4th graders that got a free bike for passing all three parts of the 4th grade's OAT.
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Kelsey Morales, age 10, of Campbell proudly displays her new bike earned with passing all three parts of the 4th Grade OAT.
Sixty kids got new bikes for getting good grades.
CAMPBELL — Campbell Elementary School is taking no excuses.
Not from administrators, teachers, pupils or parents, or because of economic or family situations.
Kids are going to learn, or school officials are going to find out why not.
The upshot of the “no excuses” attitude, along with development of a data-driven literacy program to back it up, is that Campbell Elementary became one of the few buildings in the state to move from state-designated academic watch to excellence in only three years, said schools Superintendent Thomas Robey.
Individuals and organizations in the community have also become involved in the process by providing tangible rewards for the pupils.
Tuesday at the school was “bike day,” on which 60 fifth-graders were presented new bicycles for passing all three parts of the Ohio Achievement Test — reading, math and writing — when they were in the fourth grade.
Kelsey Morales is new to Campbell schools and was unaware of the bicycle giveaway, so she was very excited when she found out she was one of the winners.
“I was very happy. When I got home, I started yelling,” she said with a big smile.
Another excited and pleased new bike owner is Iris Romano, who moved to Campbell from Florida when she was in the second grade. Her favorite subject is math.
“This is the fourth year for this program, which has been hugely successful for our students,” said Dr. Robert M. Walls, school principal.
Walls thanked the city government, community members, business owners and churches of Campbell for their financial support of the program, which has provided nearly 300 bicycles as incentives for good grades.
As a result of this program and many curriculum improvements, professional development assistance from the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, and hard work by pupils, parents and staff, Campbell Elementary was designated excellent on the Ohio report card, Walls said.
While the kids are tooling around on new bikes, the “excellent” designation is the reward for educators at Campbell Elementary, and proof to them that their “no excuses” attitude and educational plan are working.
Walls said when he and Robey came to Campbell four years ago they said that with a great staff and new buildings they asked the questions: “Why are we where we are educationally? How did we get there and how do we get out?”
They started with the premise that every child can learn, and if they are not learning the school has to take responsibility for that and figure out how to reach them, said Walls, a teacher certified by the National Board.
To back up their commitment to data-driven education, they dedicate the first two weeks of the school year to assessing pupils in reading and mathematics to identify those in the third and fourth grades who need intervention. Then, special classes to help the pupils who need it are offered after school from 3 to 5 p.m. several times a week, Walls said.
Another key to the program was the school board’s decision to hire elementary teacher Karen Carney as a full-time literacy teacher. Carney, who primarily works with other teachers, is one of just 21 literacy specialists in the state. She has been moved to the middle school and high school as a literacy teacher as the program is moved deeper into the school system. Another literacy teacher, Andrea McGoogan, has been assigned to work at the elementary school, Robey said.
The literacy teachers provide professional development for other teachers in group and individual settings, in areas such as best practices and strategies to improve reading, the superintendent said.
As literacy indicates, the emphasis is on reading.
Reading is the key to all disciplines, including math. The school has set aside 30 minutes a day for silent reading, and teachers have committed 85 percent of class time to reading, across all disciplines, Walls said.
The biggest impact of the professional development of teachers is that “teachers will share what they know,” Walls said.
“When classes become student centered with a student-driven curriculum based on state standards, combined with interactive learning and group work, children learn and discipline improves. When kids take ownership of their education, learning happens. And, once you actively engage the kids, the parents will get involved too,” he said.
Robey said the literacy program has three basic legs:
Better leadership from the board, superintendent and building administrators.
Accountability: For example, the staff is charged with looking at individual pupil assessments and scores so they know what to teach.
And finally, instruction.
But as essential as the plan is, it really comes down to teachers, Walls said.
“The love of children is the key. Kids cannot succeed without good, caring and compassionate teachers. If you can’t get excited about kids learning, you shouldn’t be in the job,” he said.
alcorn@vindy.com
SEE ALSO: Students who received bikes.