Celebrating AmeriCorps Success in the Martin County School District

Fletch's Perspective

In the last edition of Friends and Neighbors, Tom Campenni, editor and publisher, made some profound and compelling points about the recently released reading results of state testing scores for elementary—namely third grade—students.

We share Mr. Campenni’s concerns about an overall 51 percent reading proficiency level among Martin County third graders. As usual, he has his eyes on the big picture. Fortunately, there’s also a lot of little pictures that provide greater context—and some encouragement—about the academic performance of Martin County elementary students.

A few years ago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC) forged an agreement with Martin County School District that provides us real-time data into the scholastic performances of our club members. When kids arrive at our clubs’ afterschool, they commence Power Hour (study and homework sessions). Thanks to insights gleaned from the data share, our onsite certified teachers can pinpoint each child’s strengths and needs and effectively guide their instructions.

Findings from the data-share agreement also help kids outside of BGCMC clubs, informing the invaluable service of our AmeriCorps members. Participants in this acclaimed BGMCM service program—who’ve pledged to “bring Americans together to strengthen our communities”—station in local schools with large numbers of struggling students and aim to help improve student reading skills.

Based this year at two elementary schools, AmeriCorps members helped:

135 students at Port Salerno Elementary, 91 percent of whom improved from interim 1 level to interim 4.

60 students at JD Parker Elementary, 79 percent of whom jumped from interim 1 to 4.

Such efforts and results embody the spirit of Mr. Campenni’s observation that we “stop trying to quantify students’ ability and spend more time actually teaching the children to read.”

Like so many parents, educators and—of course, students—we’re pleased to see the Florida State Assessment mothballed. While we’re sensitive to some of the concerns raised about its replacement, FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking), we’re hopeful it achieves Gov. DeSantis’ stated goal of primarily prioritizing the measurement of progress.

This practice—noting and celebrating progress—is vital to all children but of special importance to those in our clubs. For the overwhelming majority of BGCMC members, difficulty and dysfunction define daily home life. So, they crave sincere and genuine praise for their efforts and results.

Thankfully, “sincere and genuine” is precisely what every student—whether club member or not—gets from AmeriCorps mentors. Their daily demonstration of consistency, care and commitment earns respect and forges real relationships with the students, cultivating learning and inspiring their best.

When it comes to student reading proficiency, it’s clear there’s still a lot of work to do. But this one-on-one, rather old-fashioned approach—augmented by the technological advantage our partners at the school district make possible through the data-share agreement—is providing snapshots of the positivity that’s possible. And if we can multiply our efforts—through more mentors and expanded school placement—we can help improve even more futures.

If you or anyone you know are interested in learning more about BGCMC’s AmeriCorps program, please visit www.BGCMCmartinorg/americorps or email us at americorps@bgcmartin.org.

Keith Fletcher’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.