Cheryl McElroy

• Facilitated hands-on, collaborative STEM activities (knowledge and skill acquisition), projects (meaning-making and investigation), and problems (application and transfer) moving children from teacher-guided learning to student-centered learning.
• Aligned STEM Modules with the Massachusetts DESE STEM Frameworks and made revisions to lesson plans as needed.
• Integrated real-world phenomena into lessons, enhancing relevance and increasing student interest.
• Implemented reading and writing workshops to support student literacy during STEM.
• Supported accountable talk routines.
• Implementing differentiated and scaffolded instruction tailored to individual students' needs improved overall student performance, contributing to 84% of students moving up a performance tier.
• Provided personalized written feedback to each student about work on problems and projects.
• Evaluated student progress through formative and summative assessments and adjusted lesson plans and teaching strategies to address student needs and interests.
• Strengthened students' communication skills through students recording and reflecting on work in notebooks, explaining findings, justifying evidence-based conclusions, group discussions, and presenting data.
• Reflected on what went well and ways to improve lessons, including students' interests, social-emotional needs, ELL needs, and needs of students with IEPs.
• Emailed family communication notes bimonthly to pre-kindergarten to 5th-grade parents and guardians with information about current STEM topics and related activities families can do together.

• Provided teachers with coaching and professional development to support the planning and implementation of core instruction, universal supports, and tier 1 interventions.
• Maintained data monitoring and analysis using data at every level to respond to student needs quickly.
• Created comprehensive, evidence-based intervention plans with SMART goals and interventions designed for each student.
• Maintained progress monitoring data from teacher probes, standardized assessments, and curriculum-based measurements.
• Developed and implemented targeted math intervention plans for identified students and tracked fidelity of intervention delivery.
• Practiced data-based decision-making with the MTSS team.
• Regularly reviewed mathematics data to determine whether each student is making progress or needs to move into higher levels of support.
• Provided online workshops for parents and guardians to increase knowledge about what and how math is taught in school and ways to help their children.
• Collaborated with District Title 1 Parent and Family Engagement Math Team to create events and activities to improve students' achievement and the joy of mathematics.
• Reviewed and recommended math programs with the Math Leadership Team that met state and district standards and usability expectations.

• Engaged in school leadership meetings and jointly created, implemented, and monitored the Problem of Practice and School Improvement Plan. This work resulted in 75% of students meeting expectations.
• Participated in district Mathematics Instructional Rounds and Learning Walks, which focused on high-level content and rigor, improving instruction and increasing student learning
• Gathered and used school-based data to inform continuous improvement, including collecting data about math coaching and using data for goal setting,
• Implemented coaching cycle with pre-kindergarten through grade five teachers in mathematics involving the teacher and

Goal setting: In this initial phase, teachers work with their instructional coach to identify specific areas for growth and set measurable goals that align with student learning outcomes.
Collection of data: Once goals have been established, teachers collect data through classroom observations, student work, and other relevant sources to help inform their practice.
Practice and reflection: Teachers then have the opportunity to practice new strategies and teaching techniques in the classroom, reflecting on their progress and receiving feedback from their instructional coach.
Goal review and next steps: Finally, teachers and instructional coaches review progress towards goals, celebrate successes, and plan next steps for ongoing growth and development

• Engaged in individual coaching cycles beginning with setting a goal, planning lessons, gathering data, and reflecting. Coaching cycles can include modeling lessons, co-planning, sharing research-based instructional strategies, building math content knowledge, co-teaching, providing feedback, creating and identifying meaningful tasks, questioning, math discourse strategies, differentiating learning, analyzing student work, formative assessments, support for multi-language learners, students with special needs, providing feedback and more.
• Making connections between and among professional learning activities, teaching, and student performance is embedded in all professional development.
• Used student learning to inform instructional decisions, including responding to mistakes and misconceptions during lessons, using formative strategies, and developing classroom management.
• Facilitated school-based data analysis meetings to make revisions to improve instruction for all students, including but not limited to multi-language learners, newcomers, students with IEPs and 504s, and students with social-emotional needs.
• Utilized cognitive, content, and instructional coaching in deliberate ways with individuals and groups of teachers to help them meet their learning goals.
• Planned and presented various professional development opportunities, including content processes and progressions, student learning outcomes, lesson planning, task choice and design, questioning, instructional strategies, formative assessment, differentiation, and classroom management.
• Chaired Data Team, Parent Engagement Team, and 504 Team,
• Published Monthly Online Newsletter for Teachers
• Created and presented monthly parent and family workshops.

• Developed and executed a comprehensive science curriculum for students from kindergarten to grade 6, which notably enhanced their understanding of integrated mathematics and science concepts. The RI SALT team commended this initiative.
• Demonstrated and debriefed weekly 60-minute lessons with Kindergarten through grade 6 teachers.
• Facilitated weekly grade-level meetings to collaboratively plan a follow-up lesson to be taught by the teachers in their classes.
• Collaborated with colleagues, parents, and guardians to create family school events to celebrate students learning and explore science and mathematics centers.
• Led school improvement team to research, write, and acquire a federal grant to improve student achievement by increasing teacher content and instructional knowledge,
• Federal Grant manager, which resulted in 80-90% student achievement.

• Built positive relationships with parents to involve families in class projects and classroom projects such as a "radio" station,
• Collaborated on Library Power Grant initiatives, including redesigning the school library.
• Facilitated students' creation of a science exploration made possible by an awarded state grant of $5000.
• Built positive family and community relationships and engaged them in supporting class projects such as history plays, recording class "radio" station, preparing class game shows, and preparing students to be docents for the exploration center.
• Prepared materials for lessons, assignments, and assessments, and evaluated, corrected and graded student performance to identify gaps in skills or knowledge and set realistic goals.
• Evaluated student progress regularly through formative assessments, adjusting teaching strategies as needed for improved outcomes.
• Collaborated with colleagues to develop cross-curricular lesson plans, deepening students'' understanding of multiple subjects.
• Developed individual learning plans for newcomers and students with IEPs.