February 27, 2026
Dear Mirowitz Community,
I want to pull up a chair with you for a moment. This week we received our winter NWEA MAP results. And before anyone tightens up at the word “test,” let me say this as clearly as I can: This is not about chasing numbers.
It’s about real growth. The kind you can feel and even see when you walk into a classroom. Eighty of our students — Grades 1 through 8 — completed the winter assessment. When we zoom out and look at the whole school picture, our children are performing above the national average in math, reading, and language usage. Our overall medians are strong across the board. That’s encouraging.
But numbers alone don’t tell the story. Let me tell you what I see. I see a Grade 5 math class that landed at the 93rd percentile, and I promise you that didn’t happen because someone handed them a stack of worksheets and wished them luck. It happened because they are learning how to think. They debate. They test strategies. They get stuck and try again. They are fearless about revising their work. That percentile is simply the byproduct of intellectual joy.
I see our Grade 7 math students — every one of them — scoring above the 80th percentile. One hundred percent. That doesn’t happen by accident in a class of two very different learners. That happens because teachers know them. Really know them. It happens because small schools can adjust in real time.
I see our third graders leading the way in language usage at the 90th percentile. And if you’ve heard them speak at Kabbalat Shabbat or read their writing, you know this isn’t about mechanics alone. It’s about voice. They are learning how to say what they mean.
Language, in fact, is our strongest subject overall. That makes sense to me. We are a people of words. Of text. Of conversation. Of careful argument. Our students are learning precision — and that will serve them in every discipline. 
We are also clear-eyed about the areas that need attention, and we embrace them as opportunities for growth. The data highlights the need for focused support in Grade 8 math, early literacy reinforcement in Grade 2, and strengthened reading performance in Grade 7 relative to their math results. Rather than shy away from these findings, our teachers have leaned in thoughtfully and proactively. We are refining small groups, adjusting instruction by RIT bands, analyzing strand-level skills, and studying what is working especially well in Grade 5 so we can replicate that success elsewhere. That is the strength of a school our size: we can respond quickly, collaboratively, and intentionally. And as we do this work, what excites me most is that growth at Mirowitz is not defined only by percentiles, but by confidence, resilience, and the way our students support and learn from one another every day.
School is not ultimately about being in the 93rd percentile. It’s about becoming the kind of human being who can struggle, adjust, and keep going. It’s about curiosity that doesn’t quit. It’s about resilience. It’s about joy in learning. The winter data tells me something beautiful: our foundation is strong. Our teaching is thoughtful. Our children are capable. And when we see a weakness, we don’t look away — we get to work.
That’s Mirowitz. We celebrate excellence. We respond to challenges. We grow. And friends, we are just getting started.
With gratitude and genuine excitement,
Brian W. Thomas
Interim Head of School