Franklin Avenue principal Frances St. Peter sits with some first graders at lunch on Friday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Frances St. Peter, principal of the Franklin Avenue Elementary School, is pleased with the school’s newly assigned Level 1 status from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), up from a Level 3.
“We are so pleased with our students and our staff. It’s an effort that’s been many years in the making,” St. Peter said on Friday.
St. Peter is in her third year as principal and eleventh year at the school, having previously served as a speech pathologist and lead teacher. She said in her former role, she was part of many of the changes that were made in the curriculum.
She also believes that it is the school’s focus on reading fluency that is behind their success. The school started with the Reading First program, a federal program that changed the way reading is taught. Now, continuing with the Massachusetts non-profit Bay State Reading Institute (BSRI), the school focuses on data analysis, strong team building, and meetings around student performance. The strategy also involves employing coaches who work primarily with staff to achieve their goals.
“Reading has been targeted, because in order to have access to curriculum, you must be a good reader. Obviously, our goal is to have all students read fluently with good comprehension by grade 3,” St. Peter said.
She said the school intervenes as early as kindergarten with students who are struggling, working with them on letter naming, sound fluency, decoding (looking at words to figure out how they sound), and writing.
Franklin Ave. reading coach JoAnn Roselli also spends time in classrooms that have a high number of students who are struggling. She helps to figure out what the students need, how to design and implement changes, and then releases the responsibility to implement them back to the teacher.
Frances St. Peter, principal of Franklin Avenue Elementary School, which received a Level 1 designation in the most recent assessment. (Photo by Amy Porter)
“Coaches are the experts,” St. Peter said, giving the analogy of a parent who holds the back of a bicycle until the child knows how to pedal.
In last year’s MCAS, the scores upon which the new assessments are based, Franklin Avenue made the gains in both reading and math. St. Peter said the students’ ability to be good readers helps with math, understanding the academic language in sci/tech questions, and with fifth grade comprehension and thinking.
“If you’re a good reader, you can access everything. We are ensuring our students are the best readers they can be,” St. Peter said.
St. Peter said that having quality professional development, training on strategies and research-based programs, has been very important. She said coaches ensure that work gets translated into the classrooms.
“BSRI has done well, helped us achieve some of the results. A lot belongs squarely in the classroom,” she said, giving credit and a “shout out” to what she calls an extraordinary staff at Franklin Ave.
“We have amazing staffing at every level, who care deeply about the kids and their progress,” she said. She said they have high expectations for their students, and work with them and their families to achieve them.
“We’re always available to families. A parent can call a meeting at any time. We’re very flexible about meeting,” St. Peter said. A small school of under 250 students, she says there is a sense of comfort and family there. “Staff and students are connected. They greet the students in the morning and say goodbye in the afternoon. “
Franklin Avenue is a Title I school, with a high percentage of low income families, and students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Due to this classification, this year all students receive free and reduced lunch and breakfast. The school also received a fruit and vegetable grant, which allows them to give a nutritious snack to students in the afternoon. “Students feel cared for,” St. Peter said.
Meeting the kindergarten and first graders in the cafeteria on Friday, St. Peter sat down at one table. When asked what they liked best about school, most answers were typical, such as “going outside.” One student said, “The food is good here.”
“We like to learn,” another student said.
“I’m very happy with the progress our students have made,” St. Peter said. “We’re well on our way.”
