Children aren’t the only ones learning in the classrooms at Asbury Elementary School. Many of the teachers are attending special professional development classes offered one Saturday a month. The classes, which focus on early literacy development, build on work the teachers did last year, said principal Staci Peters. Teachers found the literacy lessons and insights so helpful that they wanted to continue with them – even after they learned that the facilitators would only be available on Saturdays, she said. Teachers who attend either earn college credit or receive a small stipend.
One of the reasons that the teachers were so excited about the work was that they were seeing great results in the classroom, Peters said. Student scores on the AIR test increased from 14 percent proficient or higher to 58 percent proficient or higher, she said. “We saw growth in all three grade levels,” she said. “To me it says the teachers have bought into the instructional methods and the students are clearly engaged in their work. Now, our teachers have the tools to change and drive instruction that they didn’t have previously.”
The classes typically attract about two dozen of the building’s 31 teachers, said Peters, whose teen-aged daughter provides babysitting service during the Saturday sessions. The program has really impacted the culture of the building, she said. “The teachers love it. It’s created a lot of energy and positive attitudes,” she said. “It’s truly energized the building.”