Foster and his leadership team are looking at teacher effectiveness and providing support where needed. “We are going to have to work hard, and it’s going to be tough over the next several months, but I know we can get our scores back up,” he added. These groups will be fluid and will change as the needs of the students change. To meet the individual needs of students, the leadership team will differentiate instruction through flexible grouping and design standards-based instructional plans tailored for each group. There is a very diverse student population at Parkside. “Together with the entire instructional staff, I put a plan in motion to focus more on the individual needs of students.” “After 10 weeks of classroom instruction observations, I have re-established our academic goals for the school year and re-visited our school priorities,” said Principal Foster.

School leaders are naturally disappointed in the score, but, according to Parkside’s new principal, Timmy Foster, they have a plan in place to take immediate corrective measures. The score from the district’s accountability office – the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) – is 54. And though Parkside Elementary has been on an upward trajectory with test scores the past few years, the latest scores reflecting student performance from the 2016-2017 school year show a decline. Like any business or organization, performance in schools can be cyclical.

Foster and focuslist