Case Study: Garland Quarles Elementary achieves a 14% 3rd-grade reading increase in 9 weeks with PowerSchool Assessment

Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Increased 3rd Grade Reading Achievement by 14% in 9 Weeks Using PowerSchool Assessment

Garland R. Quarles Elementary in Winchester, VA — a 500-student school with 40% English-language learners, 80% living in poverty, and 20% transient — was identified in 2011 as “accredited with warning.” Leaders lacked a way to collect and analyze student performance data, help students track progress, or get a big-picture view to guide instruction, so the principal sought a data-driven solution to improve formative assessment, inform teaching, and regain full accreditation.

The school implemented PowerSchool Assessment in 2013, required schoolwide use, and paired it with a seven-step strategy (goal-setting, weekly check-ins, shared assessments, data tracking, targeted instruction, culture-building, and celebration). Within nine weeks Quarles saw a 14% increase in third-grade reading (and a 32% gain in third-grade math), removed the accreditation warning and sustained full accreditation, and prompted a districtwide rollout as teachers used actionable reports and varied item types to drive student growth.

Garland Quarles Elementary