Great Expectations Yield Remarkable Results: 5th Grade Students Pass NYS 9th Grade Science Regents Exam

These are exciting times at the all-boys, K-5, Brooklyns Imagine Me Leadership Charter School (IMLCS) where eighteen fifth grade students dubbed the Talented 18, sat for the New York State Living Science Regents Exama required statewide assessment typically reserved for ninth graders.

With stringent grading imposed, twelve of the eighteen fifth-graders passed the exama groundbreaking feat with such a large group. Many of the Talented 18 come from underserved communities such as East New York and Brownsville, demonstrating that outstanding student outcomes can be achieved under the right conditions.

The schools African American and Hispanic young men are thriving under the leadership of the principal, Bevon Thompson and director of curriculum and instruction, George Leonard, both of whom enjoy the staunch support of IMLCS executive director, Dr. Katherine Corbett. Regarding IMLCS successful outcomes, Thompson is clear:

We spend time educating ourselves on how boys learn best. Our school is designed to meet the needs of boys and understand how to bring out the genius that is inherent in every child. We want to change the narrative around the education of males.

When asked about their areas of specialty, young scholar, Nathan Soler, 11 years old replied, biology and genetics, while James Livingston, just 10 years old, expressed his passion for genetics.

The Regents Program is taught to the 5th grade for the entire school year with all required labs. They are in class five times per week for two periods a day. The classes are conducted like a high school level course with scholars taking assessments and prior exams every week, for ten months.

Weighing in on the global impact of this work, Leonard emphasizes,

If we are going to be able to compete with other nations, we have to examine how we teach our children. These boys have practiced every Living Environment Regents from 1990 to the present. They are going to specialized middle schools and high schools. In their minds, they know how important this is and they are only 10 and 11 years old. They already have bright futures ahead of them where they will avoid the prison pipeline.

Working alongside instructional staff, this dynamic team of educators has demonstrated that the combination of high standards, great expectations, diligent efforts and large doses of nurturing are the fertile soil in which scholars grow. Says Executive Director, Katherine Corbett,

Imagine Me Leadership Charter is proof that given a productive environment, with teachers who really believe that all children can learn, led by an educational leader who has not lost his passion for teaching and learning, children can demonstrate what others think is impossible. Imagine Me is a clear demonstration of excellence by an urgent obligation to see children succeed."

The Talented 18 include: Kevin Kearney, Thierry Smith, James Livingston, Damani Williams, Jordan Blake, Allen Greene, Tristan Dildy, Alexander Adames, Levi Bennett, Preston Kittrell, Joseph McMichael, Nathan Soler, Jahisiel Lopez-Soto, Marquise Alleyne, Sterlin Rutherford, Christopher Underwood, Tekhi Robinson and Christopher Battle.

This effort was a full circle moment for Leonard. The Talented 18 took the test at the legendary Boys and Girls High School in the same room 329, where Leonard first taught Regents Biology as a first-year teacher, under the leadership of principal Frank Mickens, a.k.a. the Chancellor of Fulton Street.

Leonard worked for the Science Skills Center at PS 9 where he prepared students in grades 3-6 for the Biology Regents for six consecutive years. The youngest student to pass the Living Environment Science Regents under Leonards instruction was eight years old.

Many of these students are now doctors and scientific researchers. Fast forward to todaydecades laterwhere Leonard has once again replicated his astounding success with the Talented 18. He is certainly one of our nations top science instructors.

With amazing teachers and staff, IMLCS students have made remarkable progress on the NYS ELA and Math exams since 2013. IMLCS has been classified by The New York State Department of Education as a Reward School for two consecutive years, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

When asked what the future holds, principal Thompson says,

We would love an opportunity to expand our model and share with schools what we have learned about how to bring the best out of boys in schools. We also have an aspiration to take our K-5 model and create a K-12 model.

For more information, contact Dr. K. Corbett at KCorbett@imlcs.org .

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