Snow Elementary School Recognized as “Bright Spots” Top School for Literacy Education

Middletown’s Snow Elementary School, which serves students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5, is being recognized by The 74, as a “Bright Spot” top school for “beating the odds” in literacy education and going above and beyond expectations in student growth and achievement.

The 74 is a national nonprofit organization that analyzes and reports on the American education system, spanning early childhood all the way through college and career. Journalists and data analysts look at the issues impacting the education of the 74 million students in the United States, and examine the effectiveness of the systems that deliver it. The organization’s “Bright Spot” initiative is one of their recent data-journalism projects, highlighting schools where students are thriving, and recognizing those where third-grade literacy scores are outpacing expectations.

According to data, Snow Elementary School showed the largest growth between expected reading proficiency and actual proficiency, where actual proficiency was 60% of students tested, a 21% increase from expectations. The 74 says those schools ranked as “Exceptional Schools” are in the top 5% of their state in terms of outsourcing their expected reading proficiency.

“Congratulations to the students, parents, teacher, staff and administration at Snow School for this prestigious award,” says Dr. Joseph Macary, Middletown Superintendent of Schools. “Great Work! Being recognized for student growth and achievement is the highest accolade for any educator.  Thank you for all your hard work and efforts at Snow.  Great way to start the school year.”

“This recognition is a direct result of hard work and perseverance from our students, collaborations with our families, and, of course, relentless dedication, passion, and hard work from our teachers and all of our staff,” says Peter Fragola, Snow Elementary School Principal. “Every daily lesson, every small-group differentiation, every check for understanding, and every moment spent supporting and building relationships with our students has made Snow the award-winning school that it is and I am proud to be part of this community and part of the Middletown Public School system.”