JAY — Spruce Mountain Elementary School is using classroom instruction, reading and math supports and targeted interventions to help students who are not yet proficient, Principal Patrick St. Clair told Regional School Unit 73 board of directors June 11.

St. Clair said 63% of third graders, 55% of fourth graders and 58% of fifth graders were considered proficient on the spring reading Maine Educational Assessment. When directors asked what happens to students who are not yet proficient, he said the school uses a tiered system of classroom instruction, small-group supports and more targeted help to address student needs.

Students must score 1,500 or higher to be considered proficient on the reading assessment, St. Clair said. He said third graders averaged 1,503, fourth graders averaged 1,500 and fifth graders averaged 1,501.

“Overall they did really well,” St. Clair said.

A board member asked how the scores compare with recent years, noting changes in the school’s reading program. St. Clair said he had not yet reviewed the previous year’s figures because the spring scores had recently come in.

He said the current reading program gives teachers a progression through the grade levels and helps fill gaps. “We keep doing what we’re doing,” St. Clair said. “We keep going.”

Asked whether the school is on an upswing, St. Clair said, “We are getting better,” though he cautioned scores could level off as students move through the program.

St. Clair said the spring results could serve as useful baseline data. When asked whether the school has a plan for students who are not proficient, he said students receive multiple layers of support.

Tier one instruction is what teachers provide in the classroom, St. Clair said. Tier two support includes reading and math services, generally in small groups of about five students. Tier three intervention is used when additional help is needed and may involve one or two students at a time.

“They are not forgotten,” St. Clair said.

He said the school has long offered reading and math support services and added specific tier three reading and math teachers several years ago. If those supports are not successful, students may be referred for special education services, he said.

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