Year after year, LaTisha Starks said goodbye to her students once the school year ended, marking the end of their time in her classroom.
But the 2022-23 school year was unique, as she moved from teaching sixth grade math to seventh at Advantage Charter Academy. While it meant that she was given another chance to teach that same group of students again, it also came with some apprehension from exclusively teaching sixth grade.
With some encouragement and coaching from Advantage Dean of Middle School Mendrek Solite, Starks more than met the challenge, and was honored as an Excellence in Teaching winner as part of the NHA Excellence Awards for the 2022-23 school year.
“Dean Solite’s belief in me and his reassurance that I was capable, given my existing rapport with the students, boosted my confidence,” she said. “His support was valuable, and whenever I encountered challenges, he was there to assist.”
Starks has been up to the task throughout her time at Advantage, which is ranked as the No. 1 school in Baker. She has helped the school to be recognized by The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) as a Comeback Campus, as students performed at higher levels in math and reading than before the pandemic. Advantage students scored mastery and above and decreased the percentage of students scoring unsatisfactory in both math and ELA on 2022 statewide assessments when compared to 2019. Advantage also exceeded pre-pandemic proficiency rates in ELA (+10%), math (+12%), and overall (+5%).
“Feedback from observations was very useful during this period, helping me refine my teaching approach,” Starks said. “When the test scores arrived, I was surprised and proud of the progress my students had made. Their success served as a testament to their dedication and resilience, inspiring me every step of the way.”
Those students from 2022-23 have moved on from Advantage and are taking a big step of their own as high schoolers. And thanks to the time and effort Starks took, they will be ready for that challenge and others in the future.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have made a positive impact on their lives and to have shared in their educational journey,” she said.
Keep up the excellent work, Ms. Starks!
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About Advantage Charter Academy
Advantage Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school located in Baker, Louisiana, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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