To the Editor,

In March of 2023, I wrote about how the needle was moving on student achievement in our schools. At the July 9th School Committee meeting, Dr. Lisa Schultz, Director of Curriculum, presented Warwick Schools’ Spring '24 K-8 scores for ELA (English Language Arts) and Math compared to those from Fall 2023.

The results were simply stunning! While it’s typical to explain progress in terms of percentages, I think it’s more appropriate to explain them in terms of actual students that are impacted because, at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

 ELA

• We had 1,224 more students performing “Mid or Above Grade Level” - a 241% increase.
• We had 177 more students performing “Early on Grade Level” - a 20% increase.
• We had 819 fewer students performing “One Grade Level or Below” - a 42% decrease.
• We had 345 fewer students performing “Two or More Grade Levels Below” - a 52% decrease.
• We had 237 fewer students performing "Three or More Grade Levels Below" - a 36% decrease.

 MATH

• We had 1,417 more students performing “Mid or Above Grade Level” - a 502% increase. (you read that right - 502%)
• We had 415 more students performing “Early On Grade Level" - a 56% increase.
• We had 1,197 fewer students performing “One Grade Level or Below” - a 46% decrease.
• We had 441 fewer students performing “Two or More Grade Levels Below” - a 58% decrease.
• We had 194 fewer students performing "Three or More Grade Levels Below" - a 34% decrease.

None of this happens by some kind of ‘happy accident’. It happens when individuals commit to a cause - in this case Achievement. It happens when we work together to invest in new curricula, provide training and resources for staff, provide resources for students, and measure what we’re doing. It happens when Administration identifies, and the School Committee supports, Math Interventionists at every elementary school.

It happens because there are teams in place from central administration to the school building-level that pursue a laser focus on Achievement. It happens when we believe in, and challenge, our students (and ourselves). While team members may come and go, it’s critical that our focus does not waver - ever. I've said for a very long time that improving Achievement levels in a school system this large takes time, it’s not done in a single year or two. My belief is, and has always been, that for many reasons, Warwick should be among the top 5-7 districts in the state in terms of Achievement. We're not there - yet - but we are on a good path.

The challenge before us now is to work to have our K-8 results translate to grades 9-12. Legendary coach Vince Lombardi said: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” Let’s continue staying the course.

David Testa

Warwick School Committee

Member at-Large