Before we prep our turkeys and set the Thanksgiving table, we’re listening to educators and celebrating what they’re thankful for. As many of us at Waterford are former teachers and administrators ourselves, we know that setting educators up for success is a win for the children and families they serve.
Hear from teachers and administrators how they’re meeting their goals with Waterford—from increasing literacy skills across districts, to supporting small group instruction and intervention.
Data-Driven Instruction
“Our teachers love the fact that they have the data in order to talk to the parents about what their child is needing. They can actually group students according to the skills that they’re needing, instead of guessing, they actually have the data to back their decisions.”
–Carla Narlesky, District School Improvement Specialist, Hope Public Schools, Hope, Arkansas
Why they’re thankful for Waterford:
- Alignment to standards
- Students love that it’s interactive with a variety of activities
- Teachers have data that helps communicate with parents and caregivers
- Data helps teachers effectively address student skills and needs
- Improvement in reading scores and phonological awareness despite impacts of COVID pandemic
- Waterford is helping kids master skills above grade level
Easy Implementation for Any Classroom
“For my class it works really well for my kids to have something to work on while I’m pulling students to work in small groups. They are engaged and it’s an individualized plan for them. They take a placement test, and so it’s on their own level and they progress on their own level. We do Waterford for 30 minutes. I use part of that time to pull some students to my table and do one-on-one things with them, and then they have time to jump back on Waterford. They’re engaged and working and not interrupting when I’m working with my small groups.”
–Hannah Cowart, First Grade Teacher, Moore Public Schools, Moore, Oklahoma
Why they’re thankful for Waterford:
- It’s easy to implement in the classroom
- Individualized instruction for each student
- Helps teachers facilitate individual learning, small group instruction, and one-on-one check-ins
- Teachers can easily track student progress and objectives in easy-to-read dashboards
Waterford Fuels Student Growth
“We have a lot of partners, different vendors in our district that we work with. Waterford is probably my favorite. We have really great relationships with the folks that support us, super responsive, very professional, tons of support—we really appreciate that.”
–Dr. Nicole Couri-Malson, Executive Director of Primary Education, Peoria Public Schools, Peoria, Illinois
Why they’re thankful for Waterford:
- User-friendly for young learners
- Students tend to grow a year ahead in half a year’s time
- Responsiveness and support from the Waterford team
Building Kindergarten Reading Skills from Basics to Proficiency
“I love taking them from literally the foundation of knowing nothing and seeing them grow and build those skills to where they leave kindergarten as a reader . . . Over the years since we have implemented Waterford, I have seen a marked growth in their literacy skills.”
–Janet Scalise, Kindergarten Teacher, Ogden Preparatory Charter School, Ogden, Utah
Why they’re thankful for Waterford:
- After just six months, 96% of students in the non-reader category advanced to proficiency
- Reports and dashboards help inform instruction in various settings: whole class, small groups, individual and small group intervention
- In-person and online training and support from the Waterford team made set up easy
- Engaging for students
