Dr. Mark Martin can be seen smiling from ear to ear these days. Hazelwood East students scored extremely well on the 2009 End of Course Exams (EOC).  In math, the EOC Assessment results showed East students improved their proficiency rate by 4.2% over their MAP proficiency rate in 2008. The results in science showed East students improved their proficiency rate by 15.8% over their 2008 MAP scores and in communications arts, students scored more than 40% over their ’08 MAP scores.

The EOC Assessment results also revealed that African American students scored 30.8 % higher than the State average in communications arts. “I’m so proud of our students,” said Dr. Martin, Hazelwood East Principal.” According to Dr. Martin, “There were a lot of factors that contributed to our success in communication arts, like teacher collaboration, cooperative learning, data teams, weekly walk-throughs (administrators observe in classes), the hard work of Jason Dinwiddie, Department Chair, the English teachers and our literacy initiative.”  Dr. Martin, speaking with his GEAR UP Liaison, “Those were GEAR UP kids who did so well on the comm. arts EOC, I’m so proud of them.”

Martin went on to say, “GEAR UP made a significant contribution to our students’ success.”  In support of the school’s literacy initiative, which required students to read outside of class, GEAR UP furnished 10th grade classes with books carefully selected for interest to high school students that were used in “in-class libraries. GEAR UP also offered students an incentive program to encourage students to read and write and provided consultants who implemented a supplemental reading & writing program throughout the school year in some 10^th grade classes.”

“We really appreciate the support GEAR UP has given us.  We share the same academic goals and we work well together. Our students reap the benefits.”