The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) Montessori Magnet School hosted an afternoon of celebration and motivation on Friday, March 2, at 1:45 p.m. Students in Grades 3 through 6 participated in an all-school Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) Rally that kicked off two weeks of exams.

The event included a teacher and student developed music video about the CMTs synchronized to Taio Cruz's hit song "Dynamite." Students and staff dance and hold up signs saying "rock this test" and to lyrics such as "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes - Saying ay-oh show what I know." All students at the CREC Montessori Magnet school worked very hard to prepare for the exams administered each year in March.

"We wanted to have a fun activity to motivate and entertain the students" explains Montessori's principal Melissa Gagne. "Students, staff, and parents have worked so hard to get ready for testing, and we want to make it an enjoyable experience. We were able to get t-shirts donated for our students, our PTA is bringing breakfast for them each day, and we created a music video that we are unveiling at our Rally. We are bringing the community together to support our children and give them what they need to do their best when they test."

Last year, the school achieved double-digit gains in mathematics achievement at both the goal level (12.7 percent gains) and proficient level (13.5 percent gains). In addition, 93 percent of students met or exceeded the state's proficiency standard in reading, and 91 percent of students performed at goal, the second highest level of achievement possible on the CMT. The school expects to see the same or better results this year.

View the Hartford Courant Article here.