Central Elementary School is located in the heart of the Lime Rock neighborhood of Lincoln, RI with 401 students in grades kindergarten through grade 5.  Each grade has 3 classrooms with a highly qualified teacher educating their students. Classrooms also have the support of reading specialists and interventionists who support students unique needs.  Kindergarten and grade 1 classrooms also have a part time teacher assistant who provides instructional support within the classroom. In addition, each week students receive 50 minutes of instruction in Library Sciences, Physical Education, Art, Health Education, and Music. Students at also have the support of special educators, Occupational Therapists, School Nurse Teacher, Math Coach, Technology Coach, Speech Language Pathologist, Physical Therapist, Social Worker, and School Psychologist who provide specialized services to the student population of Central. 

Data Driven Instructional Practices:  A data leadership team (SDLT) was established in 2012 to guide the instructional practices and schoolwide learning focus.  This team meets quarterly to review internal benchmarking assessments, daily formative assessment data, and statewide assessments.  The information gleaned from this ongoing data analysis drives the teaching and learning at Central Elementary.

Every teacher has been trained in and uses formative assessment to develop their lessons.  Each day, exit tickets, anecdotal evidence, and student work samples are analyzed in order to plan and differentiate the next days lessons.

Differentiation:  Teachers use a flexible grouping process determined by student classroom data to differentiate the learning environment for their students.  Station rotations allow students to personalize their learning and have choice in the pace of their learning. These stations are teacher led, student led, and include independent learning opportunities, affording students multiple pathways for success.  They meet as a whole group for broad concept instruction, in small group with the teacher or 1:1 with support personnel for more intensive instruction, and work independently applying their learning.

Student Centered Learning:  Students rotate through a ‘collaboration station’ where they “peer share” and provide each other with purposeful feedback.  These student led thinking and feedback opportunities are videotaped by their peers future reflection and self assessment.

Multi-Tiered System of Support (Interventions): Central has a robust MTSS Team which includes RtI and SEL support/interventions that meets twice weekly to review student work and provide support for the classroom teacher so he/she can meet the student’s needs.  The team reconvenes every 4 – 6 weeks to review the progress of each student brought before the RtI team and determine the next steps based on the student’s present level of academic functioning.

Technology Enhanced Learning: The use of technology is infused into the daily learning of the students at Central Elementary using grade level laptop carts, each containing 30 chromebooks for student use. Blended learning opportunities are afforded to the students through Google classroom, Bloomz, iReady, Zearn, Prodigy, blogs, ThinkCentral, RazKids, Class DoJo, Epic… to name a few.  

Professional Learning Communities/Book Study:  Teachers meet twice monthly to participate in a school wide Book Study: The Growth Mindset Coach: A Teacher’s Month by Month Handbook for Empowering Students to Achieve by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley. Teachers meet in vertical teams to discuss implementation of Growth Mindset  tenets in their classrooms allowing the understanding of what Growth Mindset looks like at each grade level. Teachers contribute to a Weebly Blog commenting on articles, posting videos, pictures, and articles about Growth Mindset, and sharing book study team notes.  This blog serves as a professional learning community where a journal of reflections, current research, and classrooms in action are shared. Teachers also meet three times per week for Common Planning Time (CPT) where they look at student work which drives instructional planning and/or intervention for students.

School Culture: The culture of Central Elementary is purposefully designed and developed by a team of teachers, the school psychologist, and the principal.  A Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) team meets monthly to monitor and guide the school culture of respect, responsibility, and safety to self and others.  Monthly assemblies are held that celebrate student successes. A Growth Mindset Culture has been adopted throughout the school and in the classrooms to promote student growth through perseverance, application, and rich learning experiences.

Central Elementary, as a RIDE Commended School, is committed to remaining current in the field of education, providing exceptional learning opportunities for our students.  Please click HERE for our RIDE Report Card Data and rating information.