Rockwell Elementary School was one of 170 schools recognized as a 2023 i-Ready “Super Stretch School” for demonstrating remarkable growth in reading and mathematics this past school year.

The designation is based on i-Ready diagnostic data from the 2022–2023 school year that showed students attained notable academic growth during the course of the year.

According to this most recent data, 65% of Rockwell students attained so-called “stretch growth”.

 “Stretch Growth goes beyond the typical learning trajectory by providing students with ambitious yet attainable pathways to reach grade-level proficiency,” said Emily McCann, senior vice president of educator community at Curriculum Associates, a company that designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools.

Their product, i-Ready, is an online program that equips educators with an understanding of students’ skills and areas for growth in order to help them provide personalized instruction.

Teachers administer the i-Ready test at the beginning of the school year to chart a course for instruction, set an individualized path for each student, and identify students’ growth goals for the year. A midyear and end-of-year diagnostic help students and teachers measure growth and discuss the results. Teacher-led and personalized instruction continue throughout the year to help students address their learning gaps while maintaining grade-level learning. The i-Ready program is currently being used by more than 11.5 million students; approximately one-third of all Grades K–8 students in the United States.

“We’ve been using I-Ready since 2017,” said Rockwell principal Tara McAuliffe. “It assesses each student at the beginning, middle, and end of the year and gives a score for typical growth and stretch growth.”

McCann and McAuliffe said the assessment tool has become especially relevant in the wake of the pandemic as educators are just beginning to understand the real and enduring impact of remote instruction and delayed onset of formal education in younger students.

“Closing the learning gap and reaching this goal at the school level is no small feat,” said McCann.

“The pandemic really set things back,” said McAuliffe. “Now we need to work to catch up while maintaining current instruction…The state goal is to have 75% of students up to pre-pandemic proficiency levels by 2027, and we are feeling encouraged by these results.”