Dear Tiger Families,
This time of year is all about celebration! From our annual moving on ceremonies to graduation, we recognize the academic achievement and emotional growth our students have made. To that end, data from our Fall-to-Spring MAP reading and math assessments serve as a powerful reminder of what happens when our classrooms and community put a collective focus on growth.
Discovery Enrichment Center: Our kindergarteners made historic strides this year, with 35% successfully climbing into higher performance tiers in reading, and a remarkable 50% achieving that same upward growth in math!
Martin Luther King Elementary: Our first graders are moving in the right direction, highlighted by a strong upward shift in reading where 8% of the student body successfully climbed out of the district's priority support bracket this year.
Fair Plain East Elementary: Our fourth and fifth graders are soaring in reading achievement, highlighted by a 10% increase in the total number of students meeting or exceeding national standard benchmarks since the fall.
Fair Plain Middle School: Our eighth graders achieved a 3% increase in the number of students reaching national grade-level standards in reading this year.
Benton Harbor High School: An impressive 41% of the 12th-grade class finished their academic careers scoring in the highest tier for reading, while our ninth-grade stars more than doubled their numbers in the top-performing bracket in math.
We also saw substantial increases in our proficiency rates for reading and math, with a rise of nearly 10% in both subjects. This type of growth doesn't happen by accident. It is the direct result of focused classrooms, dedicated teachers and the steady support you provide at home every single day.
We have just a short time left before summer break. Let’s keep our attendance high, our focus sharp and finish this year with the Tiger Excellence that defines Benton Harbor Area Schools.
With Tiger Pride,
Dr. Simone Griffin
Superintendent