Toledo Elementary Celebrates Closing of ‘Achievement Gap’

Impoverished and lower income students weren’t performing as well academically as their more affluent peers at Toledo Elementary School, which is why over the last three years the staff has been working to close the gap. 

This year, the school was awarded the Washington State Achievement Award for Closing the Achievement Gap. The school is also the only one in the state to receive the Recycler of the Year award in the public education division. 

The school held an assembly on Monday to celebrate the accomplishment. 

“I think it is recognizing staff and students for the hard work they have done,” Principal Angela Bacon said. 

During the 2013-14 school year the school had 290 students enrolled, with 56.2 percent of them qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Last school year, 311 students were enrolled and 52.7 percent qualified for free or reduced lunch. 

The school introduced several new programs and changes to help students learn, she said. Students have a 90-minute period that focuses on math and science as well as a 90-minute period focusing on English and social studies. During a 30-minute portion of the 90 minutes, students receive individualized education to help them succeed. Some groups are to help students get to grade level achievement and others are for enrichment to help students get ahead, Bacon said. The size of the group, led by either a teacher or a paraeducator, depends on how much attention the students need. The smaller the group, the more attention each student gets. 

The school also has after-school programs for students to get additional help and offered a summer school last year to help students get caught up. 

The school has worked with the Parent Teacher Organization to organize end-of-the-year field trips. The PTO, in conjunction with the Lewis County Washington State University Extension Office, have set up a school garden where Master Gardeners and students can work to grow produce. 

“I think it augments and adds to their education,” PTO Garden Coordinator Brook Acosta said. “I think it helps many of them.” 

It gives the students an opportunity to get outside and work with their hands, Acosta added. They also learn about science and recycling.

“A lot of kids grow up now thinking food comes from a grocery store,” Toledo Superintendent Chris Rust said. “Our kids are growing up knowing it comes from a garden.” 

The school was also awarded the Recycler of the Year award in the public education division for the work by students and staff in the garden and for overall recycling efforts.  

As the students advance through the grades, achieving more early on will allow the high school and middle school to offer more electives, Rust said. Teachers will not have to spend as much time teaching the basics of the subject, which will allow them to spend more time teaching the elective. 

During the assembly, Bacon told the students about their successes and encouraged them to work hard to continue their progress.  

“It is also a confidence builder,” she said. 

No single program or effort closed the achievement gap, Bacon said. It was a number of factors working together to improve student success, she said. 

“Believing in students and staff was a great starting place,” she said.