ARK Program End of Year Report 2024-2025

Prepared by Celekah Mills Ark Teacher/ Librarian and Carrie Veenstra Education Lead

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2024 2025 Report

May 2025

Table of Contents

0 1 . Program Overview

0 2 . ARK Reading Program

0 3 . ARK Math Program

0 4 . Goals for the future

PROGRAM OVERVIEW The ARK program is funded and directed through Many Hands for Abaco and is located at Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS). The primary objective of the ARK Reading and Math Literacy Program was to support students performing two to three years below grade level by providing research-based instruction focused on foundational literacy and numeracy skills. These instructional efforts targeted learning gaps that emerged as a result of disruptions caused by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ARK Reading and Math programs currently serve students in grade 1. For the purpose of having focused and impactful instruction at this level, the average class size is 5-8 students.

The ARK Program is taught by Mrs. Celekah Mills with direction and mentorship from Mrs. Carrie Veenstra.

ARK Reading Program Mid-Year Evaluation and Strategic Pivot ARK Reading Program: Mid-Year Evaluation and Strategic Pivot At the outset of the academic year, the ARK Reading Program served 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students through two 40-minute sessions per week.

The average group size was nine students. Over time, the program evolved in response to students needs and shifting school priorities.

However, as the year progressed, consistent disruptions to ARK instructional time were observed, compromising the program’s continuity and effectiveness.

Several factors contributed to these disruptions, including changes in classroom instructional schedules, ongoing assessments, districtmandated events, and various calendar commitments. Many of these circumstances were beyond the control of both the school administration and classroom teachers. As a result, ARK lessons developed by Mrs. Mills, the program’s lead instructor, were not able to be implemented consistently, and her time and expertise were not being utilized to their full potential.

Given these challenges, a mid-year pivot was necessary. After thoughtful discussion with Mrs. Mills and the school’s administrative team, a strategic decision was made to reallocate ARK resources to first grade, focusing on foundational literacy development.

To identify students in need, first grade teachers were asked to recommend students who might benefit from targeted reading support.

Each recommended student was individually assessed, and those who scored 50% or below on letter recognition and sound identification were selected for the ARK Program.

ARK Reading Program

Mid-Year Evaluation and Strategic Pivot

For phonics and reading fluency instruction, the ARK Program primarily utilized the Wilson Language Program, a research-based curriculum known for its effectiveness in foundational literacy.

Assessment Results: First Grade Participants The charts below reflects the progress of first grade students who participated in the ARK Reading Program, showing improvement in letter recognition and sound identification over the instructional period of March to May 2025.

Other students also showed commendable progress. For example, Maquan S. initially recognized only 7 letters and 2 sounds. By the end of the program, his assessment

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Students in Group 1 demonstrated significant overall improvement, with the most notable gains in letter recognition observed in student Jaylen JL. When Jaylen began the program in March, he was unable to identify any letters or sounds. By the time of his final assessment, he was able to recognize 25 letter names and 25 corresponding sounds.

Group 1

Letter Identification Pretest

Letter Sound Pretest

Letter Identification Post-test

Letter Sound Post-test

results showed recognition of 23 letter names and 17 sounds. Similarly, Jayda R. and Maquan S. exhibited strong growth throughout the course of the program.

ARK Reading Program

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Other notable improvements were seen in both Berson D. and Michael T. and Christopher C. Christopher

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Students in Group 2 demonstrated improvement, with the most notable gains in letter recognition and sounds being observed in student Johnathan C. When we first started, he was unable to identify letters nor sounds. For his final assessment, he was able to recognize 26 letter names and 26 corresponding sounds.

Mid-Year Evaluation and Strategic Pivot

Group 2

had never attended school before and as such struggled in all areas. So, although mastery was not achieved, knowing that he made gains is commendable.

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Students in Group 3 made commendable progress overall.

Jayden JL, in particular, demonstrated exceptional improvement in both letter recognition and sound identification. Despite initial challenges in his pretest, consistent instruction led to remarkable growth, with Jayden successfully recognizing all 26 letters and sounds during the post-assessment.

Group 3

Williana B. initially faced significant difficulties but showed notable improvement by the end of the program, reflecting her dedication and growth. Deontre N., who scored the highest during the initial testing, encountered some challenges in further enhancing his letter recognition skills. However, he did make considerable strides in improving his letter sound recognition.

Ark Math Program Mid-Year Evaluation and Strategic Pivot The ARK Math Program was initially structured around three core instructional units: Number Sense, Place Value, and Comparing and Ordering Numbers. These foundational concepts were intentionally selected to support the development of fact fluency in addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Students engaged with these concepts through a variety of instructional methods, including hands-on activities using manipulatives, guided practice with worksheets, and digital reinforcement through the IXL online learning platform.

As previously noted in this report, consistent delivery of ARK instruction was impacted by ongoing scheduling disruptions and other school-wide commitments. Many of these challenges were outside the control of instructional staff and administrators. In response, a strategic mid-year adjustment was implemented to maintain instructional quality and ensure the program continued to meet students' needs effectively.

Pictured above is a 1st grade student excited to practice math skills on IXL.

Strengths Semester 1 - The small class size of 12 students max per class.

Students were excited to have a variety of hands-on materials to practice math skills such as base ten blocks, place value charts, counters, a document camera and a projector.

ARK Math Program

Mid-Year Evaluation and Strategic Pivot

IXL was introduced and students were able to practice skills on the computers.

Increased engagement in both the ARK sessions and in the classroom.

Semester 2- Mrs. Mills served as a support in the classroom for students in grade 1 and worked with struggling students to simplify concepts taught during whole class instruction. Students who needed additional support were pulled out and assisted in the ARK classroom with a variety of manipulatives and activities.

Weaknesses The ARK units were not synchronized with classroom instruction, resulting in students not engaging with the same skills simultaneously. This contributed to breaks in learning classroom skills being taught.

Limited Time for Intervention and Enrichment - Math classes were held once per week for each grade level. When the program pivoted grade 1 classes were held once per week and a combined pull-out session was held on Fridays for students who required additional support.

Recommendation: Increase Time for Targeted Support and Enrichment Build structured time into the schedule for both intervention and enrichment to meet the needs of struggling and advanced learners without sacrificing core instruction.

Monitor and Evaluate the Impact of ARK Support Use formative assessments and progress monitoring tools to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of ARK interventions, ensuring alignment with classroom instruction and student needs.

Library Library Lessons Students in grades 1-3 have a library lesson once a week for an hour where they are taught a character education lesson, library skills, and read independently for 20 minutes. All 2nd and 3rd graders checkout books weekly.

The library has 3,117 books in the library inventory for circulation. As of April it also now has a non-fiction section!

11-20 Books Checked Out

1-10 Books Checked Out

411 students

58 students

A schedule was prepared to implement library time every other Friday for students in grades 4-6 in the fall term. This was adjusted during the spring semester to allow students from first grade to have additional reading and math intervention.

Strengths Having a good library management system, including a non-fiction section A good variety of books that are leveled by reading ability Students began to discover their favorite authors, series, etc.

A weekly library class for character education and instruction on library skills

ARK Library

Weaknesses Teachers needed to be reminded to send their class for Library on their set days and times due to the biweekly schedule.

4th -6th only checked out in the morning or break times in the spring time and checkouts decreased.

Recommendations Implement shorter duration for library classes for 1st -3rd . This allows a more impactful time for younger readers and gives 4th grade the opportunity to have a scheduled library period to check out books Library lessons can be extended to grade 4 as a special allowing them to have sufficient checkout time.

For grades 5 and 6 - Create a rotating shelf/library curated by the students themselves that consists of about 20-30 books per class.

Students can also come in to check out books every Friday every morning and D.E.A.R. time.

ARK Library

Schedule for 2025-2026

2025-26

Monday

Tuesday

8:45-9:00 9:00-9:15 9 15 10 10 10:10-10:40

Library open Library open Library open Library open Library open Prep Prep Prep Prep Prep G d 1 R di G d 1 R di G d 1 R di G d 1 R di G d 1 R di Reading Interve Reading Interve Reading Interve Reading Interve Reading Interve

10:40-11:00

Break/Snack

11:00-12:00

Grade 1 Grade 1 Grade 1 Grade 1 Grade 1 Math Interventi Math Interventi Math Interventi Math Interventi Math Interventi

12:00-1:00

Lunch

1:00-1:30

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

1:30-2:00

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

2:00-2:30

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

Library Class

2:30-3:00

Plan TIme

Plan Time

Plan Time

Plan Time

Plan Time

Break/Snack

Wednesday

Break/Snack

Thursday

Break/Snack

Friday

Break/Snack

Future Goals for the ARK Program The Academic Recovery and Knowledge (ARK) Program was launched in response to learning disruptions caused by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic. It was designed as an academic recovery initiative, focusing on reading and mathematics, the foundational pillars of student learning. As the educational landscape continues to stabilize, the program is being refined to ensure long-term, sustainable academic support for all students in need.

The program’s updated direction centers around two interwoven goals: 1. Skill Reinforcement Objective: To provide targeted, just-in-time instruction that aligns with current grade-level expectations, ensuring students can meaningfully engage with ongoing classroom instruction.

Key Strategies: Small-Group Sessions: Conducting small, focused instructional sessions that allow for high levels of student-teacher interaction.

Curriculum Alignment: Ensuring that intervention content mirrors classroom lessons while revisiting prerequisite knowledge.

Progress Monitoring: Regularly assessing students’ understanding of current content and adjusting instruction as needed.

Collaboration with Classroom Teachers: ARK instructors will work closely with general education teachers to align strategies and identify students requiring immediate support. This starts with ARK instructors in the classroom for whole class instruction.

Expected Impact: Students will build confidence and improve performance in real time, reducing the need for future remediation and supporting higher levels of classroom engagement and achievement.

ARK Program

Future Goals for the ARK Program

2. Foundational Skill Development Objective: To address learning gaps that hinder student progression, particularly those rooted in missing or underdeveloped foundational skills, even if these gaps are unrelated to current classroom topics.

Key Strategies: Individual Learning Plans (ILPs): Each student in the ARK program will receive a customized ILP, based on diagnostic assessments, that targets their specific learning gaps.

Vertical Skill Mapping: Identifying and reinforcing skills from previous grades that are crucial for long-term academic success.

Multisensory and Differentiated Instruction: Utilizing research-based instructional methods to engage various learning styles and support diverse student needs.

Flexible Pacing: Allowing students to progress through foundational skill modules at their own pace, ensuring mastery rather than compliance.

Expected Impact: Students will rebuild core competencies in reading and math, fostering academic independence and long-term retention of essential skills. This approach ensures that students are not just catching up temporarily but are being prepared for sustained success.