2013-2014 has been a year of growth for Cherry Street Elementary. We have added a TAG program, become an inclusive school, and replaced our core curriculum. The amazing by-product of the growth of these programs has been the growth of our faculty. I could write for pages and pages about how these programs have grown all of us, but tonight I will focus on our CheeTAG program.
When I took the job as Principal at Cherry Street I was made aware of several challenges. The school had seen its local community families turn to the private school down the street and to several charter schools in the area. We had many families left supporting the school, but if things didn't change we might soon lose them as well. Also, the school grade had been in decline for a few years, but the decline had been masked by the state's safety net.
My brilliant friend reviewed the master schedule with me in the early weeks of my new leadership role. She asked vehemently, "Where is the TAG program?" I explained that we didn't have one, and then we both pondered aloud the benefits derived from adding a program like this. First, it would keep families at our school--the families looking for the challenging programs provided at the charter and private school settings. Next, it would help build a layer of proficient students in our school achievement data...something that was missing. Further, it would allow my class-size restrictions due to state mandates to be flexed when building the master schedule because TAG classes are frequently multi-age. The premise of these programs is that students work at their mental age and NOT at their physical age. Lastly, having a TAG program would allow our staff and select groups of students to explore the most innovative and technology-driven aspects of today's educational offerings.
My first task was to locate the teachers who could tackle the obstacles inherent in implementing a new program while also learning how to be successful in managing such a program ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I knew just the right people. I asked two teachers on staff to consider taking the gifted endorsement coursework. It was a gift from heaven when both dynamic ladies agreed to take the coursework. They each seemed genuinely interested in the program we would implement in the upcoming school year.
Fast forward to the following summer. Both ladies finished their coursework ahead of schedule! Did I pick the right two or what? And, they began developing plans and curriculum for their classes. The teacher for the 4/5 combination TAG class even came up with a name for our program: CheeTAG since we are the Cheetahs at Cherry Street. I bought each of these ladies the book: Re-Forming Gifted Education, and away they went to the races! As we got closer to the start of school, we ended up having the students to create a combination 1/2 TAG class, a pure 3rd grade class, and a 4/5 combination class. Luckily, we had a 3rd grade teacher who was already endorsed for gifted education which allowed us to flesh out the program from grades 1-5.
The three fabulous teachers, our wonderful Student Services Coordinator, and I, all set out to create a diverse program that relied on student data to fashion personalized student learning goals for every content area of the program. From there, we embedded project-based learning, career-oriented learning, and technology-based learning. The results have been astounding, and we continue to see gains with almost 100% of the students in the program.
The teachers in these classes are positive, dynamic, and they are data-driven. Their malleability and willingness to work with a multi-age program that relies heavily on technology and increased engagement has provided our students with learning opportunities that are very unique. Two of the teachers are very excited about the possibilities for next year, and every time I get a chance to chat with them they tell me how much THEY have grown this year. For instance, one of the teachers sent me her engagement percentages for a lesson she taught last week, and she shared the pictures with me of the students who were VERY MUCH engrossed in the lesson. It was exciting to share the joy with her about trying to push student learning to the very highest level! Not only are our diverse TAG students growing, but our teachers are growing. So when this week's SAVMP assignment asked, "What are you cultivating?" I had to take this opportunity to share about our new TAG program and the progressive teachers who stepped up to the challenge to make certain our strongest learners continue to meet their own learning goals.
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