Photos from Greystone Elementary website and Shades Mountain Elementary Facebook page
Greystone Elementary School, at left, and Shades Mountain Elementary in Hoover, Alabama.
Greystone and Shades Mountain elementary schools for the second year in a row were named as i-Ready Super Stretch Schools for helping students achieve extraordinary academic growth in reading and math.
There were among only five schools in Alabama and 170 or so schools nationwide to earn the designation from Curriculum Associates, the company that makes the i-Ready diagnostic tests that students take at the beginning of the school year, midway through the year and at the end of the school year.
More than 14 million students across 30 states and Washington, D.C., take the i-Ready tests, representing about one-third of all K-8 students in the United States.
To qualify for Super Stretch School status, schools must have at least 200 students and have 55% or more of their students reach their stretch growth goals in reading or math over the course of the year. This year’s designation was based on progress in the 2024-25 school year.
Meeting stretch goals helps students progress toward grade-level proficiency regardless of their starting point while also challenging advanced students to continue exceeding expectations.
"Super Stretch Schools prove that when educators and students set ambitious goals with the right supports, students rise to the challenge," said Elizabeth Bassford, vice president of content and implementation at Curriculum Associates, in a news release. "Even as schools continue to navigate the lingering effects of pandemic-era learning gaps, Super Stretch Schools, teachers and students are showing what's possible."
