Monac Elementary School first-grade student Gabby Gutierrez spends 30 minutes each school day practicing her reading in a small group with a special tutor.

Young Gutierrez, 6, initially struggled to adjust to life in the Washington Local School District. Afraid to leave her parents' sides, she spent the first two weeks of school coloring in Principal Bill Magginis' office.

But with a new independence and her tutor, the little girl who wants to be a veterinarian is making great strides, Mr. Magginis said.

At Monac, students who once struggled are performing, and earning their school statewide recognition.

Monac Elementary School was named one of Ohio's 146 "Schools of Promise" by the Ohio Department of Education.

The award recognizes schools that achieved greater than 75 percent proficiency rates, although more than 40 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Gorham-Fayette's former Franklin Elementary and Pike-Delta-York's former York Elementary in Fulton County also made the list. All three schools were recognized for their reading scores; Franklin was also honored in math.

According to state education officials, "Schools of Promise" are defying a reality that has long dogged Ohio school systems. The phenomena is known as the achievement gap - a disparity between the performance of low-income, minority, and special needs students compared to their peers.

"Ohio's stubborn battle with achievement gaps has yet to be won," State Superintendent Susan Tave Zelman said in a statement. "But these schools are beating the odds and show we are making progress."

The department of education has conducted studies to determine the shared characteristics of high-performing schools with low-income populations. "Schools of Promise" were found to exhibit high student expectations, partnership with parents, clear discipline, and academic intervention policies.

At Monac, educators targeted weaknesses in test scores with two full-time intervention specialists. Students who struggled with fractions met in small groups and poured over denominators and numerators. Those who struggled with reading joined group's such as young Gutierrez's.

Thirty days before the test, all the students received specialized instruction on important aspects, Mr. Magginis said.

The strategy paid off. More than 90 percent of the school's third-grade students were proficient in reading and math tests. The number of sixth-grade students who passed in both subjects was 88.7 percent.

Last week, the students enjoyed their success with a special assembly. The parents' club purchased each child a shirt proclaiming their "promising" status.

"I got a prize," young Gutierrez said.

Gorham-Fayette's Franklin Elementary School was absorbed into Fayette school when the district completed its Ohio School Facilities building project this year. During its last two years, Franklin received an "excellent" rating.

Although 44 percent of Franklin's students qualified for free and reduced price lunches, more than 90 percent of third-grade students were proficient in reading; in math, more than 86 percent met the standard.

Former Franklin principal LuAnn Boyer, who now serves as Fayette School's Elementary Principal, said the school's achievement was the result of a community effort.

To bring the school from "academic watch" status to "excellent" over the past nine years, the district had instituted all-day kindergarten, a new mathematics program, a school breakfast program, and a mentorship program with volunteers.

"We worked so hard, not just the teachers and students but with parent support," Ms. Boyer said. "Our focus has really been on the whole kid as a person and not just what they were doing during school hours."

Pike-Delta-York's York Elementary School was also absorbed by another school - Delta Elementary - this year. The schools were consolidated because of declining enrollment, Superintendent Robin Rayfield said.

But the teachers and the programs that helped make the school a stand-out success remain in the district, he said.

"York had not traditionally been identified as an excellent school. We were just always on the cusp," Mr. Rayfield said. "We started making every teacher a reading specialist."

During the past few years, York Elementary School teachers spent four days developing their reading instruction skills at Ohio's State Institute for Reading Instruction.

The school also invested in reading programs known as "Phonics Dance" and "DIBELS," or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills.

Phonics Dance incorporates physical movement into the challenge of learning to read, Mr. Rayfield said. Through DIBELS, students were given a prescriptive reading program that identified weaknesses and suggested tailored assignments.

Contact Angie Schmitt at:

aschmitt@theblade.com

or 419-724-6104.

First Published November 19, 2008, 7:45 p.m.