Grant provides additional time and instruction in key subject areas for students most impacted by pandemic
CREEED today announced a $450,000 grant to the Canutillo Independent School District (Canutillo ISD) as part of a partnership between the two organizations to improve student outcomes in both Algebra and English I programs. The grant provides funding for eighth grade students to receive accelerated and intensive instruction in Algebra and English.
This initiative increases the hours students spend on these key subjects and allows for targeted, small-group instruction for students who require additional support to master each subject at the “MEETS” level of assessment, advancing students’ preparation for post-secondary education.
"Canutillo ISD is committed to meeting the needs of all of our students and ensuring their continued success throughout their academic careers as they pursue college preparation,” said Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz. “We are deeply grateful to CREEED for their unwavering commitment to education and our students. This grant allows us to accommodate the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic and achieve our goal of having Canutillo ISD students reach College Career and/or Military Readiness upon graduating from our high schools.”
The funding is intended to specifically target eighth graders who were in fifth grade at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students start learning more complex math, reading and analytical skills in fifth grade, making it an especially important year of educational development and academic progress that was disrupted for this group of students. Through this grant, CREEED and Canutillo ISD aim to close potential learning gaps and set students up for further success.
“By providing additional support and time for students to focus on these critical subjects, we are ensuring they go into high school with the foundational knowledge they need to succeed,” said CREEED Board Chair Richard A. Castro. “After all, our goal is to ensure all students in El Paso are college ready by the time they graduate high school, and one way to deliver on this promise is by ensuring students can successfully complete Algebra I and English I by the time they finish middle school.”
This grant builds on and expands two previous grants in 2019 and 2020 worth a total of $225,000 CREEED awarded to Canutillo ISD to increase access to Algebra classes for its middle school students. This grant continues and expands that effort and makes CREEED’s total support of Canutillo ISD $675,000. Since the initial 2019 grant, Canutillo ISD has increased the number of middle school students enrolled in Algebra by 54 percent and has seen a 45 percent increase in the number of students achieving “Meets” grade level on the STAAR exam.
CREEED has recently doubled down on its focus and support of math initiatives, including its new AIM High (Algebra In Middle School) initiative that seeks to increase the number of students in El Paso County who take Algebra I in 8th grade and achieve “meets” level assessment on the Algebra I STAAR exam.
For more information about Canutillo ISD’s math and English programs and instruction, please contact Gustavo Reveles at 915-256-3273 or
[email protected]