Columbia County educators describe co-teaching, data chats and steady CCRPI gains

The principal said Columbia County teachers have built a collaborative culture centered on co-teaching and data-driven student goal-setting that staff credit with improving outcomes. "We have worked hard to create a collaborative culture for student success," the principal said.

Teachers described a co-teach model used in nearly every general education class, with elementary intervention (EIP), gifted and special education teachers joining planning and instruction. "We do co teach model in essentially every 1 of our gen ed classes," a general education teacher said, adding that those partnerships let teachers pool expertise to serve a range of learners.

A special education teacher described co-teaching as a "win-win for both teachers and students" and said staff celebrate incremental progress for students who do not always show large, immediate gains. "In special education, you don't always see the big jumps, so we celebrate the little pieces of growth," the teacher said.

Staff also described routine "data chats" in which students review diagnostic results, identify specific standards or skills to target, and set short-term goals. After a recent reading diagnostic, a teacher said some students "literally, like, jump for joy" when they saw the growth they wanted, and teachers then discuss strategies to raise students to the next grade-level benchmark.

The principal said the school's CCRPI score "has steadily increased" in recent years and that the school "most recently ... received an award from the State Department for our math growth." The transcript did not provide exact CCRPI figures or a more specific name for the awarding State Department.

Speakers characterized the work as countywide and school-level effort. A general education teacher noted that Columbia County and Lewiston schools are known locally for educational effort and student support, and staff said they will continue using co-teaching and data chats to support student growth.

The presentation did not include formal votes or policy changes; speakers focused on instructional practice, assessment, and celebrating student progress.