Superintendent’s Corner

To the Springfield School District Community,

As we close out the 2025–2026 academic year, I want to take a moment to step back and reflect on what we have accomplished together — and to offer my deep and sincere gratitude to every student, family member, educator, and community partner who has been a part of this work. At the start of the year, I shared that we had much capacity to build from. What we have seen unfold since then has affirmed that belief in ways that are both humbling and energizing.

This year, we made a focused, deliberate commitment to foundational literacy and rigorous instruction — and our students responded. Across Springfield, from Elm Hill to Springfield High School, we are seeing meaningful movement in the right direction. These gains do not happen by accident. They are the result of teachers stepping into new learning, of school leaders holding steady on high expectations, and of families trusting us with the most important people in their lives.

What the Data Tells Us

At Elm Hill School, the numbers are striking. At the start of the year, only 20% of Kindergartners were proficient or above in literacy. By spring, that number reached 84%. In Grade 1, we went from 6% proficient to 51% — a transformation that speaks to both the quality of our new instructional approaches and the dedication of our early elementary team. Our Kindergartners also showed extraordinary math growth, moving from 11% to 66% proficient over the course of the year. Elm Hill not only met but significantly exceeded its Continuous Improvement Plan goals in both reading and math.

At Union Street School, grades 2 through 4 showed consistent fall-to-spring growth across both literacy and mathematics. Grade 2 students showed median math growth of 127% — meaning these students significantly outpaced the expected growth rate. That kind of momentum tells us something important: when students are taught with rigor, consistency, and heart, they rise to meet it.

At Riverside Middle School, every grade level saw gains in both reading and mathematics from fall to spring. Grades 6 and 7 each reached 100% median growth in literacy — a benchmark that signals students are growing at or beyond expected rates. While we know there is still significant ground to cover, particularly for students who began the year working below grade level, the direction of our work is clear and the momentum is real.

At Springfield High School, we are laying important groundwork. English teachers have developed shared curricular documents aligned to new program resources and Common Core standards, establishing the kind of common language and cohesion that makes sustained growth possible. In mathematics, students in Algebra showed steady mastery gains across all domains through the ALEKS platform. And in a moment of real community joy, music enrollment surged from 21 to 79 students signed up for next year — a sign of a school culture that is expanding and becoming more vibrant.

The Work Continues

I want to be honest with our community: there is still meaningful work ahead. The gains we have made this year — particularly the extraordinary growth shown by students who began the year two or three grade levels behind — affirm that our approach is working. Our task now is to deepen and sustain it. Next year, we will continue building out our PK–12 literacy structure, strengthen our intervention and coaching models, and ensure that every student in Springfield has access to the instruction and support they need to succeed.

None of what we have accomplished this year would have been possible without the care and commitment that runs through every corner of this community. That care has been present in every conversation I have had — with students, with staff, and with families — and it continues to be the foundation from which all of our progress is built.

Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your continued belief in what Springfield's schools can be. I look forward to what we will build together in the year ahead.