In the last several years, Madison Elementary School has had many moments worth celebrating.
Whether recognizing Milken winner, Principal Andrea Trio, or connecting with the community for large scale events through their Communities in Schools or School Counselors, Madison Elementary has become a hub of positivity not just for students but for families on Wheeling Island.
Their newest celebration? Their General Summative Assessment, also known as GSA data, reported some of the highest ranking, if not the highest ranking scores, in West Virginia. We recently sat down with the team tasked with teaching testers, and these teachers and specialists in grades 3-5 gave invaluable insight to the magic secret to the success of Madison Elementary.
“My word is ‘determination,’” said legendary Title I teacher, Cathy Whorton.
She references a team building activity Madison Elementary staff completed at the start of the school year where Mrs. Trio asked each teacher and staff member to choose the word that defines their purpose both personally and professionally. Whorton goes on to explain that their team believes in collaboration and a mutual understanding that each student at Madison is deserving of the best education possible.
Matt Gruber and Melanie Riddle, 4th grade teachers, emphasize growth and engagement. “We focus on building growth one step at a time,” said Gruber.
Riddle added, “It’s helpful that our classes are seamlessly co-taught,” while crediting last year’s special education teacher, Lindsay Black, and this year’s special education teacher, Jennifer Davis.
Taylor Bosley, the newest teacher of the group, credits the atmosphere of the building with allowing teachers to grow alongside students. “Last year was my first year, but it felt safe to go in and learn from our own teachers.”
Bosley also credits Ohio County Schools Innovation Coordinator, JoJo Shay. “JoJo gave me time and supported me. She worked with me on reteaching strategies and it really allowed for my confidence to grow.”
Olivia Kilbane believes that the key is not only strong instructional practices, but building a solid relationship with each student. Each morning, students are reminded of and declare what she believes is one of the greatest educational quotes from Rita Pearson, “I am somebody. I have things to do, places to go, and people to impress.”
When they say it, they learn to believe it and the results certainly show not only they could, but they did.
Principal Trio explained the culture at Madison Elementary School plays a large role in their success.
“We tell our students that (because of how hard they and the staff worked) they are chosen to take this test. It’s not just that they get to take it or they have to take it, rather they were chosen to take it.”
Trio expressed that this test is just a glimpse of what these amazing children are capable of doing.
“They (students and staff) are certainly not defined by a single assessment, but because we believe in teaching and applying interventions socially, emotionally, and behaviorally, our academics take flight and soar.”
Academically, teachers had a variety of recommendations that support students. They discussed vocabulary and increasing it by practicing with a variety of words. Science of Reading curriculum like Heggerty, Lexia, and Sonday also play a large role in interventions. More importantly than the academics however is the shared mindset on what’s next.
“You’re here, you’re safe, and you deserve an education,” Trio often shares with students. “We always want you to try your best and believe that you can because you deserve all good things!”
Trio gives resounding recognition to her entire staff. Each year she chooses a school theme to help drive their mission and purpose. This year, they celebrate with “Imagine, Believe, Achieve.”
“That’s exactly what we’ve done,” Trio said. “We believed we could, so we did. The magic truly happens school wide and our multi-tiered systems, supports, and approaches are to be commended. “Teamwork makes the dreamwork” is where Trio’s focus began back in 2016 and Madison Elementary has proven that their mission field boils down to one determining factor.
The staff agrees with that. “All you need is love and the rest just falls into place.”
Madison celebrates exceeding the standard in Mathematics with a proficiency rate of 80.56% and meeting the standard with 78.89% in ELA.
