COLORADO SPRINGS — Nearly half of 9th through 11th graders at Mitchell High School jumped one reading level grade, on average, since the start of the school year.
Staff said it's thanks to new reading and reward programs.
"[Mitchell High School] is a struggling school and to help turn that around is a great thing," said an English Language Arts teacher, Robert Elder.
High school administrators said math and reading test scores haven't improved this much since 2016. The school moved up one tier under state performance review.
"The ninth graders coming into the school year, the average reading level was at fifth grade," said Elder.
Elder implemented a reading program that helps students better understand words and phrases with reading tests online.
"I've been off track of my elementary and middle school and when I got here, it was like a big improvement," said freshman Anthony Quintana.
Elder also implemented a reward program. Students who made 53% growth got a certificate of either bronze, silver or gold at a winter ceremony.
"It keeps me motivated because it tells me I'm getting better and that I should keep going," said
"Seeing the teachers rooting for us helps us a lot," said
Students are on track to check out twice as many books from the library this school year than last. Many say they're getting better grades across the board.
"Now we've been getting rewarded for the work we've been doing and it really shows on our grades," said freshman Ely Thierry.
There will be another awards ceremony in May. Elder said so many students earned gold that they will offer platinum.
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