Spencer Elementary serves students in Spencer, Wisconsin, where winters are long, snow days turn into virtual days, and instructional time is too valuable to fill with digital busywork.
Principal Eddie Ikard has led the school through several years of curriculum work in both literacy and math. With a strong foundation now in place, his focus has shifted to fluency, foundational skills, and making sure every minute of student practice is both intentional and aligned.
“Our curriculum is EL Education for ELA and Bridges for math,” Eddie explained. “We feel like we have a good foundation now. We’re not focused on what to teach anymore. We can really revise and enrich how we are teaching it.”
Recent changes in Wisconsin law have reinforced that focus. Act 20 places a strong emphasis on reading fluency and foundational skills, especially in the early grades.
“We’ve gone back a bit to the basics,” Eddie said. “And are really focused on fluency and foundational reading skills, especially in K-3, so that students are ready for more complex problems in grades four and five.”
In math, Spencer teachers value Bridges for helping students understand why math works, not just how to follow a procedure. At the same time, they saw a gap.
“Our fourth and fifth graders were lacking in math fact fluency,” Eddie noted. “If we ask them to divide 4,582 by 46 and they do not know how to divide 45 by 9, that is going to take them a really long time. They need some automaticity to free up working memory so they can handle complex problems.”
With curriculum and goals clarified, the next step for Spencer Elementary was to make sure the technology stack was helping, not just filling time.
Rethinking the Tech Stack: From Digital Busywork to Purposeful Practice
Before adopting eSpark, Spencer Elementary used other online programs, including Freckle. Over time, Eddie and his team began to question the value.
“It started with the price point,” he said. “What we were using was a little bit expensive for what we could use it for, and there hadn’t been many upgrades. I had used it as a teacher years ago, and it was pretty much the same thing a decade later.”
Spencer Elementary’s leadership wanted a program that grew with the times, aligned with their curriculum, and supported real academic progress, not just occupied students.
“Many programs end up as the 20 minute center activity that kids do so a teacher can have a small group or silent reading,” Eddie said. “It is better than doodling or not doing anything, but you do not say, ‘Wow, our scores will improve because of this program.’ We wanted something different.”
The criteria were clear:
- Purposeful, standards-based practice
- Alignment to EL and Bridges, unit by unit
- Support for both enrichment and intervention
- Modern features that reflect current technology and AI
“We wanted something that could enrich higher level students, where they can actually learn new things, and also serve as an intervention piece,” Eddie said. “If a student just learned a skill and needs extra practice, but the teacher cannot sit right next to them all the time, the program should be able to help.”
Building Time and Structures Around Data, Not Just Tools
Spencer Elementary did more than swap one program for another. The district invested in time and structures so that data could actually be used.
“Our district was very supportive,” Eddie said. “We added four additional teacher work days this year so we have more time with data. We also added an additional PLC.”
Previously, collaboration was loosely defined. Now it is scheduled and purposeful.
- Teachers meet twice per week in PLCs.
- At least once per month, each grade level meets with the grade above or below to support vertical alignment.
- Teachers also meet regularly with interventionists and special education staff to align classroom instruction, interventions, and eSpark usage.
“They get time to sit down and ask, ‘What are you doing for interventions?’ ‘Does this line up with what we are doing in class?’ ‘Does this line up with what we are assigning in eSpark?’” Eddie explained.
The school also designated three of the four added work days as data days.
“We have specific days devoted to data,” Eddie said. “That can be eSpark data, aimsweb, Forward, or other assessments. The goal is to ask what practices we need to change, what is working, and what is not.”
In the past, Spencer Elementary’s staff did not always have the capacity to tie program data to classroom practice. That has changed.
“Our shift wasn’t about the data by itself,” Eddie said. “The old program was being used in so many different ways that the data wasn’t meaningful. When we aligned our approach and committed to using eSpark with a clear plan, we started seeing real gains in student performance.”
Why eSpark: Alignment, AI, and a Clear Direction
When Eddie and his team compared options, several aspects of eSpark stood out.
Direct Alignment to EL and Bridges
“The first thing was its ability to tie in directly to the two curricula we use,” Eddie said. “Teachers really liked that we could say, ‘If a student missed a math lesson, or if we have a snow day that becomes a virtual day, here is extra practice for unit 3, lesson 4,’ and it really connects to the specific curriculum.”
Instead of generic skills practice, teachers can assign work that mirrors classroom instruction with eSpark’s Nova Teachers Assistant.
“It does not just hit a random standard,” he said. “It connects to what you are specifically talking about in your curriculum.”
Forward-Thinking Features
Eddie was also encouraged by the steady stream of meaningful, visible enhancements and innovation across the eSpark platform.
“The effort to put in AI and give choice-level texts showed us eSpark is moving in the direction the rest of the world is moving,” he said. “They are trying to use this powerful tool to help kids learn.”
In eSpark, Choice Texts are activities for grades 1st-5th in which students choose the topic, genre, and other key details of a reading passage, then work through a skill-based lesson where their eSpark companion, Rocky, provides in-lesson assessment, feedback, and remediation.
That forward-looking stance mattered as Spencer Elementary made a long-term decision about its tech stack.
Intentional PD and Implementation
Spencer Elementary leadership framed eSpark as a priority by giving teachers dedicated time to learn and plan, not by asking them to figure it out on their own time.
“We have had two PD days so far,” Eddie said. “The first was the rollout, explaining the features and how to use them. The second went deeper into reports and content.”
Spencer’s leadership team sees dedicated PD time as a signal of importance.
“If something is important to us, we need to make sure that, during professional development days, we have time during the school day to do it,” Eddie said. “If you do not devote time to it during a workday, you are telling teachers it is not that important.”
During PD, teachers explore:
- How to connect eSpark lessons to current EL modules and Bridges units
- How to read and use eSpark reports
- How to assign targeted practice and monitor progress
“If we are going to use this, we need to prioritize time,” Eddie emphasized. “That means you get time during your workday. You are not expected to go home and do it at night.”
Shifting Teacher Practice and Supporting Every Learner
As teachers have become more comfortable, Eddie has started to see changes in how eSpark is used.
Feedback has been especially positive around:
- Foundational reading skills, including letter sounds and early phonics
- Assignments for students who are virtual or unable to attend in person
- Purposeful usage targets, such as aiming for 60 minutes per subject per week
“We have one student who is fully virtual right now for outside reasons,” Eddie said. “It has been really beneficial to assign eSpark lessons and try to keep that student up to speed without them being in the classroom.”
Eddie has also become more intentional about monitoring usage.
“I have been more purposeful about looking at usage rates,” he said. “Teachers know they are expected to use it and that it connects to our broader goals.”
Student Engagement: The Right Balance of Learning and Fun
From Eddie’s perspective, one of the hardest parts of selecting a program is finding the right balance between engagement and academics.
“Some programs go way too far toward games and have very little academics,” he said. “Others are all academics and not engaging. Kids get bored quickly.”
So far, student response to eSpark has been strong.
“Overall feedback from students has been positive,” he said. “They are engaged and they really like the choice texts.”
The interest extends beyond school hours. Eddie’s own children, who attend Spencer Elementary, ask to work on eSpark at home.
“I have two daughters in second and fourth grade in the district,” he said. “It is something they actually ask to work on. If they are in my office or we are at home and need something to do, they say, ‘Can I go work on this’”
For the school, it is a sign that they have found the right mix.
“We are trying to find something kids enjoy that is not 98 percent games and 2 percent academics,” Eddie said. “That is a hard line to hit. eSpark feels closer to that balance.”
Celebrating Effort and Growth: High Fives and a New Motto
Spencer recently completed a five year strategic plan and adopted a new motto: Inspire, Educate, Celebrate.
“That last piece, celebrate, has been a big focus,” Eddie said. “In our last staff meeting we asked, how are we celebrating and what are we celebrating.”
Teachers are beginning to use eSpark’s “high five” celebrations as one way to connect effort and recognition. Students earn High Fives in eSpark each time they master a standard or a skill — and teachers can easily track these via a report on their eSpark dashboards.
“One grade level has set up a class reward if they get a certain number of high fives,” Eddie said. “If they hit the goal for the week or for the month, they get a class party or another incentive.”
The school is also rethinking what goes on classroom and hallway walls.
“In an elementary school, you naturally see a lot of seasonal celebrations and decorations—and that’s an important part of our environment,” Eddie said. “What eSpark allows us to do is also celebrate the work we’re truly proud of. It gives us a way to showcase students’ hard work, persistence, and growth, not just what’s tied to the calendar.”
A Responsive Partnership and a Future Focus on AI
For Eddie, the relationship with the eSpark team has been defined by responsiveness and a sense of forward motion.
“The biggest thing has been responsiveness,” he said. “We want to know, if we bring up an issue, are we doing something wrong, or is this something eSpark is working on? The team has been quick to answer and clear about what is in progress.”
He appreciates seeing concrete changes in areas that matter to Spencer Elementary:
- Foundational skills, including speaking and letter sounds for younger students
- Data connections, such as aimswebPlus uploads
- AI-informed features and content
“It is encouraging to see eSpark adding foundational skills pieces where students can speak and work on sounds, and being able to take aimswebPlus data and upload it so the systems work together,” Eddie said. “That tells us they are using feedback and looking to make improvements.”
Eddie is also personally interested in the broader landscape of AI in education.
“I consider myself maybe slightly above average with technology,” he said. “And I already feel like we are behind in the AI world because it is moving so fast. I am going to a technology conference in December and I am excited to see what AI can do and how programs that incorporate it will continue to develop and be useful for teachers and students.”
Looking Ahead: Early Wins and Next Steps
Spencer Elementary is only a few months into its eSpark implementation, but early indicators are promising.
“I think usage is the early success,” Eddie said. “We have not had our second round of testing yet, so it is hard to gauge growth fully, but teachers and students are using it and using it purposefully.”
As district testing results come in, Eddie and his team hope to see:
- Stronger growth on aimswebPlus and district benchmarks
- Evidence that targeted eSpark practice supports foundational reading and math fluency
- Continued teacher buy in and alignment to EL and Bridges
If another district leader asked why Spencer chose eSpark, Eddie would start with the direction the platform is heading.
“The first thing that comes to mind is the forward thinking piece,” he said. “eSpark is working to make improvements, they’re responsive to feedback, and it connects directly to our curriculum so we are not working off two totally different things. The AI piece is intriguing, too. We are excited to see how eSpark continues to develop as a useful tool for our teachers and our students.”
