Belen Soto eighth-grade math proficiency doubles as teachers refine intervention approach
Reported byThe Daily Independent at YourValley.netBy Stacy MantleMail
AI-assisted summary
Eighth-grade math results at Belen Soto Elementary School have more than doubled over four years, rising from roughly 39% of students proficient on the state assessment to above 80%, according to a presentation to the Litchfield Elementary School District governing board on Oct. 13. English language arts results also improved, reaching nearly 89% proficiency in 2024-25. School staff credit a flexible intervention block called WIN, short for "What I Need."
Under this approach, students are placed in groups based on what they currently need, and teachers move them between groups as they progress. Some work on foundational skills, some on grade-level material, and others on enrichment. Teachers from every subject help during math time and then switch to reading and writing support. Students who have mastered the material get harder concepts and projects instead of extra practice. Principal Courtney Frazier said more than 31% of eighth-graders scored in the top category on the state math test in each of the last two years. The team has shared its methods at a September conference and with staff at another district school.
Board member Kimberly Moran cautioned that the gains should not be assumed to come from the model alone, noting that other factors may not carry over to other campuses. Frazier agreed that teacher expertise, teamwork and relationships also play a role. The school is piloting a math tool called Magma Math and a reading intervention program called Rewards. The district has not announced a formal expansion of WIN, though board members supported sharing the practices.
Why it matters
The report shows one school's strategy for raising math and reading results and how a board weighed it. Families and educators can see what is being tried, and board members can see the debate over whether results at one school can be repeated elsewhere.
- Math achievement
- Test scores
- Literacy
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
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- What evidence would help the district decide whether the WIN approach is responsible for the gains and whether other schools could use it?
- How should schools balance extra support for struggling students with challenging work for students who have mastered grade-level material?
- What kinds of support or training might teachers at other campuses need to try a flexible intervention model?
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