Jibreel Santiago tried to keep it simple as he taught his “students” how to program a Lego robot.

“It was pretty frustrating for them,” said Jibreel, 8, a third-grader, observing his pupils. But the students – teachers at Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School in Groton – figured it out and he was pleased.

Jibreel and 11 other children served as robotics instructors for 30 teachers last week during a professional development session at the magnet school. Catherine Kolnaski Magnet attracts students with its science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs.

The school expanded Lego robotics — typically offered to older elementary school children as an after-school activity — to grades two through five this year, and offered the professional development to give teachers more understanding of the program.

But the training was about more than professional development. The magnet school, which five years ago struggled with behavioral issues among students, has caught the attention of the state for its turnaround.

“There has been a dramatic transformation that has taken place over the past five years at Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School in both school climate and the quality of instruction,” Mary Anne Butler, chief academic officer for the State Department of Education said in a prepared statement.

The school has worked since the 2012-13 school year with the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, a program aimed at boosting student achievement and founded at Teachers College at Columbia University.

Five years ago, student behavior often interrupted teaching. Today, the focus on students’ voice has become a key part of the school’s gains in closing the achievement gap, Butler said.

The magnet school has reduced suspensions by 70 percent, according to a statement by Eric Cooper, president and chief executive officer of the alliance.

Families in Groton have taken notice.

The magnet school so far has more than 80 applications for the coming school year, said Superintendent Michael Graner.

On May 10, a dozen students in grades three, four and five instructed small groups of staff on how to make a robot follow commands. Then the children assigned their teachers challenges, including: Make the robot move forward in a straight line for a certain distance, turn around and come back.

It was harder than it looked. The teachers had to write coding programs to control the robots’ various mechanisms.

“We had to play with the degrees of the rotation and we had to try it three times to get it right,” said Nicole Maxwell, a second-grade teacher at Catherine Kolnaski. “I’m just truly amazed by the math that’s involved.”

Some students also learned that instructing their teachers was harder than it looked.

“It’s actually kind of nerve wracking,” said Luca Ursini, 11, a fifth-grader. “You get a little nervous because you don’t want to mess up.”

One of his students, Maxwell, returned from a challenge and declared her achievement.

“You are a great teacher,” she said. “It worked!”

“They’re doing really well,” said Adrianna Choser, 10, a fifth-grader assessing her small group. “They want to learn it all.”

d.straszheim@theday.com