Thames River Magnet School - Groton, CT

Tapping into the power of collaboration and approaching teaching and learning with a growth mindset are the key essentials that we used to close achievement gaps and ensure our commitment to continuous improvement.

Our collective efforts center on the critical, ongoing work that Data Teams and Intervention Teams play in improving student achievement. Our core strategy is our belief in the Growth Model. Rather than just looking at who is on level and who is not, we meet kids where they are and help them continuously improve through progress monitoring and targeted and systematic instruction. We work as a team to provide the necessary support and scaffolding to make sure all students learn. You could look in any classroom and truly not know which students have IEPs or which students receive reading or math support. We have blended the Tiers so that all students, regardless of ability, are supported and achieve.

As a School Improvement Team, we reimagined a structure so that more of our students could thrive and engage starting with a school-wide schedule that embedded special educators, math, and reading specialists into instructional blocks during Tier I and Tier II instruction. The emphasis on collegial support at Data Team meetings has allowed teachers to share best practices, look at students' work, and plan curriculum and lessons together, in addition to, regular support from administration and the literacy or math specialists. These strategies were leveraged by the school-wide schedule which supported the kind of teaching and learning prioritized in our school.