ROYALSTON — Royalston Community School will be among those schools being honored at a State House event for meeting or exceeding its goals on the state-required MCAS exam administered last spring. RCS will be one only 57 of the state’s more than 1,800 public schools so recognized. The event is scheduled for Friday, June 7. Commemorative certificates will be presented to the schools during a ceremony in the Hall of Flags in the Massachusetts State House between 10 a.m. and noon.
Principal Beth Craven was hesitant to provide an explanation for the school’s success since she is in her first year at the helm of RCS, having succeeded former principal Jan Williams.
Third and fourth-grade math teacher Rebecca Vincent, however, said at least one factor had an important impact on improving results on the MCAS exam, which is administered to RCS students in grades three through six.
“We were given more support in the classrooms,” said Vincent. “That enabled us to work with smaller groups of kids to help bridge those gaps. It was a combination of paras (paraprofessional educators) and our special ed staff. They were able to come alongside us.”
“Being able to work in smaller groups was really the big change for me,” she continued. “That was really helpful for me to get them what we like to call a ‘double dip’ of support and reinforcement.”
Vincent also credited students for the improvement. “We’re really blessed here,” she said. “Our kids here are pretty invested. I constantly say for any assessment – but especially for the MCAS – ‘don’t stress, do your best,’ to just kind of lay that foundation. It’s not about stressing about it because that’s not going to produce the best results. We’re just asking you to do your best, and we’re going to be proud of anybody who did their best. These kids really are phenomenal and they really did their best. They’re personally invested. They want to do their best.”
The teacher said teachers also feel the stress created by the MCAS exam, and the students pick up on that.
“I was actually honestly pleasantly surprised by what we saw,” said Vincent. “Our principal (Williams) would say ‘just trust the process.’ So, for that, it kind of helped ease our own stress. We just had to realize we’d prepared them as best we could and hope that it would show results.”
Lead Teacher Jessica Willhite said much of the reason behind last year’s success can be attributed to the overall environment at RCS.
“I think it’s more of a school culture,” she said, “empowering the children to be successful. I think it starts in kindergarten. We create a community in kindergarten and the teachers, some of whom have been here a long time. They get to see them grow from 5-year-olds that come in holding onto their mom’s legs to kids who are ready to move on into middle school.”
Size, she said, also matters.
“We’re so small that we get to see their ups and down. The teachers know each child in each class, and we hold them accountable for their actions and their choices academically as well as socially. I think that just creates a culture that makes them want to be successful and be proud of themselves and own who they are.”
“Research is showing,” Craven interjected, “that if you can get the student’s social and emotional environment in a good place, they’re more open to learning. The teachers create an atmosphere. You can walk the halls and feel it here. The students feel safe, they fell loved, they’re able to take risks and own their own learning.”
“I think the teachers are fabulous at what they do,” said Willhite. “I don’t know what the secret is – if there is one.”
Those attending the June 7 ceremony include 6th-grader Camden Hopkins, 5th-grader Karim Nur, 5th/6th-grade teachers Brian Snell and Marisa Coviello principal Beth Craven, and former principal Williams.