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Westfield Elementary Test Scores On The Rise

WESTFIELD — State standardized scores for elementary students at Westfield Academy and Central School have risen considerably in all levels, board of education members learned at a recent board meeting.

WACS elementary principal Mary Rockey told the board that student scores have risen 17 percent in math compared to this time last year, while scores in ELA have increased by 11 percent since that time.

“For the first time the trend is going in the right direction in both ELA and math,” Rockey said.

Rockey said the increase was a result of many factors, including “teacher alignment of curriculum across and between grades, dedicated academic intervention to address individual student weaknesses and of course, our wonderful students and teachers working really hard.”

Rockey said the district’s core goal is to help students achieve their fullest academic potential. “We will stay this course until every single student attains this potential,” she said.

In other matters, Westfield business and computer instructor Mary Jo Dix gave the board a presentation on the Scribbler robot program. She said the pilot program started about a month and a half ago with seventh grade students.

She explained that with the Scribbler robot, students learn how to code using computer language.

“I feel it’s very beneficial and it is an enrichment program for them,” Dix said.

The Scribbler is part of a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art math) robotics platform, Dix said. She described the Scribbler as a small, low-cost, fully programmable intelligent robot with multiple sensor systems. It is capable of auto navigation and interaction with its environment she said.

Dix told board members that students learned how to use programming language to program the Scribbler. “We had two robots for fifteen kids. It was a good learning experience and it turned out to be very successful,” she said.

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