NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL — Riley Elementary earned its first "B" grade in 14 years. Now educators are focused on continuing recent literacy gains.
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Low reading scores are becoming less of a concern at Riley Elementary.
Last year, the school earned its first "B" grade in 14 years. Now, educators say they are focused on maintaining that momentum and going even higher.
Fourth grade reading teacher Britnee Cunningham says keeping students engaged plays a large role in improving reading scores.
"Increasing more stamina with reading, doing more AR testing, and also allowing students to have more of a book talk with other students. Because when they only talk to me, it only stays in my classroom. But if I could get them to talk to other students in that classroom and other classrooms, the joy of reading extends from just my classroom to maybe campus-wide," Cunningham said.
According to the Florida Chamber Foundation, 57% of Leon County third graders are currently reading at grade level, while more than 1,100 students are still not meeting proficiency standards. Statewide, more than 94,000 third graders are still reading below grade level.
Assistant Principal Candace Gautney says she is proud her school is reversing that trend.
"Our kids are amazing. They may come to us with deficits, but we work very hard to fill in those gaps. Our teachers work hard with them every day, and our kids are so capable. They work really hard to get where they are, and they are really proud of themselves right now," Gautney said.
Educators say access to books at home also plays a major role in helping students improve reading comprehension, vocabulary, and classroom confidence.
School leaders say the focus now is not only maintaining that "B" rating but continuing to push student achievement even higher.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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