Posted: Jan. 27, 2010

Muskego — Tess Corners Elementary School was well on its way last year to achieving its reading, math and attendance goals, according to the school scorecard for 2009-10.

The goal for the current school year is 93 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in reading, and 96 percent proficient or advanced in math on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. The WKCE results from last year, showed that the school was almost there - already with 90 percent proficient or advanced in reading and 94 percent in math.

Besides being almost at the school goal of 96 percent, last year's 94 percent in math is hot on the heels of the average for the regional leader in math, the Hartland-Arrowhead elementary schools. Their average is 95 percent proficient or advanced.

Tess Corners Principal Ron Rivard foresees nailing that goal in WKCE testing this spring, partly because math teachers are learning how to do guided math teaching this year.

"Instead of teaching to a group, they teach to an individual, much like we do for reading," Rivard said.

Emphasis also is being placed on reading.

On Friday, the staff, as a whole, videotaped themselves teaching reading and had other staff members offer critiques. The teachers themselves thought of the videotaping, Rivard said.

"The session was very powerful," he said. The school does not have to bring in outside experts to polish what goes on the classrooms, he said.

"We believe the experts are right within our walls," Rivard said. In attendance, Tess Corners was at 96.2 percent in the 2007-08 school year, the most recent year for which data was available for the scorecard. That is only slightly below Arrowhead, the regional leader's 96.7 percent. The Tess Corners goal for 2009-10 is 97.2 percent.

 

- Jane Ford-Stewart