WILLIAM Winchester pupils enjoyed an afternoon of Popsicles and positive comments last week to celebrate thinking and learning.

It was clear from the speeches and the accolades from the school system's central office staff that the school community also was celebrating a rise in William Winchester Elementary's Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) scores.

The second-graders' composite math score jumped 30 points, and their composite language score went up 24 points from last year. Fourth-graders also celebrated gains, with their composite language arts score up six points, and the math composite up 1.3 points.

"This would be considered a phenomenal gain for any school," said Barry Gelsinger, assistant superintendent of instruction. "William Winchester, especially under the leadership of Principal Mark Vigliotti, has had a clear focus on what needs to be done, and everyone has moved in the same forward direction."

Joining the festivities Wednesday were: Charles I. Ecker, interim superintendent; Harry Fogle, director of special education/elementary schools; Donald Pyles, director of middle schools; Steven Johnson, director of curriculum and staff development; and Pamela Ayres, director of minority achievement and intervention programs.

Dressed in aprons that looked like tuxedos, the central office staff shook lots of little hands and distributed ribbons and Popsicles to all.

"I thought they were going to do a cooking show when I saw those aprons," said fifth-grader Deneatria Lewis. "I also thought we were just going to come outside to hear someone say, 'Good job.' These Popsicles and ribbons are great."

"It has been a hard school year, with lots of tests," said Kendall Shipley, a fifth-grader. "This is great that we are getting awards."

CTBS is a standardized test given to second- and fourth-graders across the nation. The test provides assessment data in the areas of reading, language and math.

When test scores jump as high as the scores did at William Winchester, it's only natural that people ask, "How did they do it?"

"There's a lot of camaraderie and communication between the administration and the staff at this school," said fifth-grade teacher Cathy Karhart. "We all know expectations for students at each grade because we often sit together or observe each other's classes, so we all know what each grade is doing."

Many pieces contribute to the school's success, including the 6,672 parent volunteer hours that were logged during the school year and a myriad of intervention programs that have been in place for years, said the school's reading specialist Linda Pugh.

William Winchester Elementary, like Taneytown and Robert Moton elementaries, is a Title I school, a distinction based on the percentage of pupils who receive free or reduced lunches.

Title I status provides additional federal funding, and administrators are quick to note that William Winchester's Title I funding is well-spent.

Most recently, Title I funding helped William Winchester make necessary connections to be the first Carroll County school to benefit from a Comprehensive Reform Demonstration grant, a federal government initiative.

The grant includes $150,000 annually for three years and a partnership with model schools from all over the region (the Mid-Atlantic Coalition of Essential Schools).

"I work with 40 schools in three states, and I have found that at William Winchester, there are four things that make our partnership work," said Mary Helen Spiri, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Coalition of Essential Schools.

"This school has a supportive administration both at the school and within central office," Spiri said. "It has that external partnership - one where someone from the outside can say things that others might be hesitant to say. Everyone in this school community is invested in learning more, learning how to be better, and they have made a choice about being part of this comprehensive reform and they have been loyal to that choice."

Test scores should continue to rise because of partnerships from the Comprehensive Reform Demonstration grant, as well as several intervention programs that have been in place for years, Ayres said.

Many of the school's struggling learners receive help early through the Advancing Early Literacy program (which originally was funded through a state grant, but now is funded from county coffers), and the Extended Elementary Education Program, which is a state-funded pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds.

"You have done a great job," Vigliotti told pupils last week during their thinking and learning celebration. "Remember, there are 21 other elementary schools working as hard we are. We are one of many, but today is your day."

Lisa Breslin's Central Carroll neighborhood column appears each Monday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.