Belen Soto eighth-grade math proficiency doubles as teachers refine intervention approach
Image by: Carly Staley
Eighth-grade math proficiency at Belen Soto Elementary School has more than doubled in four years, rising from 39% to more than 80% as teachers use a flexible, team-based approach to provide students with targeted instruction and academic enrichment.
Eighth-grade math proficiency at Belen Soto Elementary School has more than doubled in four years, climbing from 39% to more than 80% as teachers developed a flexible intervention approach that tailors instruction to individual student needs.
Teachers and administrators shared the results with the Litchfield Elementary School District governing board on Oct. 13, highlighting how a collaborative approach known as WIN, or "What I Need," helped to reshape instruction in math and English language arts.
According to the school's presentation, eighth-grade math proficiency on the Arizona Academic Standards Assessment increased from 39.08% in 2021-22 to 80.27% in 2025-26. English language arts proficiency also improved, rising from 67.46% in 2021-22 to 88.8% in 2024-25.
Principal Courtney Frazier said the school had dedicated intervention time built into its schedule, but the eighth-grade teaching team transformed how that time was used.
"The time's always been built into our schedule, and not every team on my campus does it this way," Frazier told the board. "This team has really taken the system or the time and maybe some procedures that we had in place, and they've really taken it to the next level."
Under the WIN approach, students are grouped according to academic needs rather than assigned permanently to a particular intervention class.
Some receive intensive instruction to address foundational skills, while others work on grade-level concepts or more challenging enrichment activities. Teachers adjust those groups as students progress.
Eighth-grade math teacher Emily Badger described the approach as "aggressively flexible," explaining that students do not all learn at the same pace.
"Our WIN time is not one solid structure because our children, our students are not one type of learner," Badger said. "We use our WIN more like a flow than a solid structure."
The model also breaks down traditional subject-area boundaries. During math intervention, teachers from other disciplines help teach math. During language arts intervention, the same team shifts its attention to reading and writing skills.
Badger said teachers identify one another's strengths and assign instructional groups accordingly.
For example, she helps students develop reading fluency, while English language arts teacher Kim Thomas works with math students who need additional support before advancing to more difficult concepts.
"When we are in math WIN, every teacher on my team is a math teacher," Badger said.
The approach also places greater emphasis on students who have mastered grade-level material.
Rather than assigning additional practice problems, teachers provide opportunities to tackle more advanced concepts and challenging projects.
Frazier said more than 31% of the school's eighth-graders scored in the highly proficient category on the state math assessment in each of the past two years.
Academic gains draw districtwide attention
The teaching team's work has attracted attention beyond Belen Soto. Educators presented their practices at the Arizona Association for Middle Level Education conference at Arizona State University in September and have shared their approach with staff at Verrado Heritage Elementary School.
Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Benjamin said other schools have expressed interest in learning from the team.
Board members praised the academic gains and encouraged continued collaboration among district campuses.
Board member Kimberly Moran, however, cautioned against assuming the intervention model alone was responsible for the improved scores.
"My only hesitation or reservation is that correlation is not causation," Moran said. "There are lots of other factors going into your successes, and not all of those can be replicated on other campuses."
She nevertheless encouraged the district to continue sharing the team's instructional practices.
Frazier acknowledged that teacher expertise, collaboration and relationships also contribute to the school's success.
New tools support continued academic growth
The school is continuing to refine its approach by piloting Magma Math, an instructional and intervention tool, and incorporating Rewards, a reading intervention program designed to strengthen foundational literacy skills among older students.
Frazier said the reading program is valuable for middle-grade students who struggle with decoding unfamiliar, multisyllabic words.
The district has also provided training that allows teachers outside traditional language arts classrooms to support reading intervention.
For board member Michele Wallace, the results demonstrated the importance of both academic instruction and student relationships.
"To see in four years going from 40% to 80% in math, like even with the best teachers, there's obviously amazing practice going into that to have those test scores grow that much," Wallace said.
Frazier, who was also recognized during the meeting as the 2026 Arizona Middle Grades Administrator of the Year, credited the eighth-grade team for continually evaluating its practices and adapting instruction to meet student needs.
The district has not announced a formal expansion of the WIN model, but board members expressed support for sharing successful practices across campuses.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Stacy Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.
Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.
Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!
Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.
Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.
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