Colonial Elementary reports EL restructuring, PBOS gains and climate actions in SIP review
February 23, 2026 | Colonial SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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Colonial Elementary School leaders told the Curriculum Committee on Feb. 9 that their school improvement plan focuses on sustaining math gains, supporting English learners and strengthening ELA skills through explicit instruction and program alignment.
Ruth Rock, principal of Colonial Elementary, said most subgroups are trending up and noted that the school benefits from PBOS value-added data for upper elementary grades. "All subgroups are trending up," Rock said, and she described PBOS as a tool the school uses to view growth beyond single test scores.
Why it matters: Colonial Elementary leaders said PBOS and local growth measures give a fuller picture of student progress than single-year proficiency snapshots, and that restructuring EL services is already producing measurable gains in small EL cohorts.
EL program changes and results: Danelle Baratz, teacher on special assignment, said several EL cohorts were small (she cited one fourth-grade EL cohort of about 11 students), and the school adopted a 'cushion' model and increased push-in EL services. "Our EL restructuring seems to be helping," Baratz said, noting growth in multiple grade levels.
Climate and curriculum actions: Assistant principal Mike Darber outlined climate and instructional priorities in the SIP: a common traffic-light behavior language, No Place for Hate and bias-incident response training, targeted literacy question stems and routines, curriculum alignment to Illustrative Math to address fourth-grade geometry and fifth-grade fractions/volume gaps, and claim-evidence-reasoning for science discourse. Darber said student ambassadors and routine morning meetings support belonging and dignity.
Context and next steps: Colonial leaders said they will continue monitoring EL outcomes, refine push-in supports and align weekly review of instructional resources to fill standards-level gaps. Presenters did not request formal action from the board during this segment; the committee praised teachers and leaders and moved to the next agenda item.
Ruth Rock, principal of Colonial Elementary, said most subgroups are trending up and noted that the school benefits from PBOS value-added data for upper elementary grades. "All subgroups are trending up," Rock said, and she described PBOS as a tool the school uses to view growth beyond single test scores.
Why it matters: Colonial Elementary leaders said PBOS and local growth measures give a fuller picture of student progress than single-year proficiency snapshots, and that restructuring EL services is already producing measurable gains in small EL cohorts.
EL program changes and results: Danelle Baratz, teacher on special assignment, said several EL cohorts were small (she cited one fourth-grade EL cohort of about 11 students), and the school adopted a 'cushion' model and increased push-in EL services. "Our EL restructuring seems to be helping," Baratz said, noting growth in multiple grade levels.
Climate and curriculum actions: Assistant principal Mike Darber outlined climate and instructional priorities in the SIP: a common traffic-light behavior language, No Place for Hate and bias-incident response training, targeted literacy question stems and routines, curriculum alignment to Illustrative Math to address fourth-grade geometry and fifth-grade fractions/volume gaps, and claim-evidence-reasoning for science discourse. Darber said student ambassadors and routine morning meetings support belonging and dignity.
Context and next steps: Colonial leaders said they will continue monitoring EL outcomes, refine push-in supports and align weekly review of instructional resources to fill standards-level gaps. Presenters did not request formal action from the board during this segment; the committee praised teachers and leaders and moved to the next agenda item.
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