Dear Bryant Parents:
Tools used to evaluate performance can tell us a great deal about a student’s strengths and weaknesses. These evaluation tools help teachers target instruction to those areas where students need the most help and aid in identifying the methods of instruction that are most effective.
The State of Michigan also uses a variety of tools, based on student MEAP performance, to evaluate schools across the state to help them identify areas of success and areas where improvement is needed.
The most recent evaluation tool released by the Michigan Department of Education identifies:
- Reward Schools—highest performing and greatest progress schools
- Focus Schools—schools with the largest achievement gaps
- Priority Schools—lowest performing schools
Bryant received the designation of a Focus School, which means that Bryant is among the 358 schools state–wide that have the largest gaps between the highest performing 30% and the lowest performing 30% of students. There are five other schools in our district that received the Focus School designation. If you would like more information on the Focus School designation, please visit: www.michigan.gov/focusschools.
This gap in achievement among our lowest and highest performing students will be addressed in our annual School Improvement Plan. We will continue to improve instruction by:
- Helping teachers provide effective small group instruction every day
- Implementing reading, writing, and math each day in each class
- Continued use of differentiated instruction
- Expanding our focus for our lowest achieving students
This will not be a plan that aims for mediocrity, rather a plan that will continue to challenge our most successful students and advance those students who are struggling academically. We will continue to have high expectations for ALL students.
I encourage you to continue to be involved in your children’s education. Provide them with the support and materials they need, check parent-connect regularly, ask them about their assignments and homework, set aside 20 minutes of reading time each night and above all, be connected to your children’s teachers and our school.
I look forward to talking and working with all of you this school year to make sure that our school, Bryant Middle School, remains an outstanding place to receive a quality education.
Sincerely,
Shannon Peterson
Principal
click here to download the parent letter: focusparent.let