El Rodeo Elementary is one of only 11 schools in California to earn the i-Ready Super Stretch School distinction for student reading growth, Principal Kim D'Aloisio told the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board of Education on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
The honor, awarded by educational publisher Curriculum Associates, goes to schools where at least 55% of students meet individual "Stretch Growth" targets on i-Ready diagnostic assessments. Those targets measure progress beyond the program's typical annual-growth expectation, according to the Beverly Hills Standard.
D'Aloisio said some of the students honored at the meeting had achieved nearly 200% of their growth targets.
Nationally, about 71 schools out of roughly 15,000 using i-Ready earned the distinction, according to Coeur d'Alene School District records. Schools must enroll at least 200 students to qualify, according to Baltimore City Schools.
D'Aloisio also reported an 8% increase in English language arts proficiency on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Her presentation did not specify whether the figure represented a percentage-point gain or a relative increase.
El Rodeo's most recent School Accountability Report Card, covering the 2024-25 school year, shows 78% of students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded state ELA standards. That outpaced the district rate of 71% and the statewide rate of 48%. In math, 80% of El Rodeo students met or exceeded standards, compared with 62% districtwide and 37% statewide. The report card did not include the school's 2023-24 scores for comparison.
The school, located at 605 North Whittier Drive, served 629 students in grades TK-5 during the 2024-25 year. It reopened that year after a full campus modernization. The original buildings date to 1927.
Teachers presented certificates to students recognized for exceptional growth during the board meeting's teacher and student spotlight segment. Students gathered with educators and the i-Ready mascot for a group photograph.
BHUSD board member Russell Stuart, speaking as an El Rodeo parent, congratulated the school community, according to the Beverly Hills Standard.
The full presentation and ceremony are available in the official Nov. 10 board meeting recording.
