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Snowflake School District is literally seeing the sky as the limit as the staff, teachers, students and parents look to continue to build on the success of receiving “A” ratings for all their eligible schools in 2018.
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Superintendent Hollis Merrell explained, “An ‘A’ rating indicates that our students are performing well on assessments. At the high school, college and career readiness and graduation rates are also part of the formula. We have gained attention throughout the state in recent years for our high math scores. Our reading and writing scores have also improved, which means our individual students are performing better.”
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Both Highland Primary and Taylor Elementary schools, which are kindergarten through third grades (K-3), do not receive labels because 50 percent of the label formula is based on student growth. Merrell explained, “Since our K-3 schools do not take the Arizona Merit Test until third grade, they have nothing to compare for student growth.”
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However, Federal Programs Curriculum Director Jason Owen was able to plug the numbers for the two elementary schools into the formula and it showed that they would be “A” schools as well.
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The student growth portion of the formula calculates the annual growth of a student, whether it is a struggling student or a student who easily masters learning. As Merrell said, “It keeps from discriminating against schools with disadvantaged students. Schools are given credit for student growth regardless of the students’ learning level at the beginning of the year.”
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Merrell and Owen both attribute the success of their schools to the teachers, principals and staff who have implemented innovative instructional strategies. Many of these changes were a result of the adoption of Beyond Textbooks and the collaboration of the teachers within the district and with other schools. The Beyond Textbooks program was started approximately 10 years ago in Arizona by the Vail School District and implemented in Snowflake soon after.
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While Beyond Textbooks does not completely abandon traditional textbooks, it does provide a way of teaching and learning that goes beyond the textbooks. Teachers now focus on the state standards to drive the curriculum. By accessing the website, teachers can review resources and curriculum calendars, locate and share resource materials, and collaborate with peers, often times providing much needed support. Teachers are encouraged to find new ways and ideas to implement the curriculum effectively.
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Beyond Textbooks began as a Vail initiative, evolving over the past decade into a program that has created partnerships with more than 100 districts and charter schools in Arizona, as well as out-of-state partners in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois and New Mexico.
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For Owen, who has provided 34 different trainings for the staff this year, Beyond Textbooks has created a lot more collaboration between the communities in the region. Most recently, teachers from Chinle and Round Rock came to the Snowflake trainings. “We are a regional training site for Beyond Textbooks,” said Owen. “We have colleagues throughout the White Mountain region with whom we exchange ideas during these trainings.”
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As students have become more transient, Owen said the common calendar and curriculum created through Beyond Textbooks, enables a student to come from one school to another and not lose time in learning.
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Merrell said, “Regardless of the programs we use, the success of our schools is dependent on the exceptional staff and leadership at each of our schools. We are grateful for their efforts.”
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Owen also noted, “Without the dedication of the teachers and staff, and their willingness to approach things differently and accept a new process, this would never have worked. We have totally changed the culture of our schools. Even the parents have been a big part of this, as they had to learn not to have textbooks to refer to. Beyond Textbooks now offers a parent portal where parents can view resources to help their students.”
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Within all of it, Merrell said, “The district has worked hard to develop the culture that will help to sustain success over time.”
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“We encourage every staff member to leave their ego at the door,” said Owen. “Be willing to listen to another point of view, because we are here for the kids and we need to learn from each other with open dialogue.”
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Having received all “A”s, the next step is perhaps even more challenging as the district works to build on the success.
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“The week after we received our labels, we had a data dig,” said Merrell. “During that process, principals identified an area for improvement. A change was quickly implemented to help struggling students. Even though our schools are doing very well, looking for ways to improve and help students will be a continuous process.”
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Owen recently helped with the comprehensive needs assessment working with the principals and leadership team from each school. “We evaluated every aspect of each school, including leadership, curriculum and instruction, effectiveness and parent engagement,” said Owen. “We put a rating on each element, identified the weak areas and created an action plan for each school.”
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Merrell is very aware of the impact a good school brings to a community, as it encourages families to move to the area and helps businesses to grow and thrive.
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“Our success is also dependent on continued support from the community and parents. We need each other to be successful. The success of our two communities and the schools is helping to provide hope, momentum, and a positive environment,” concluded Merrell. “And we want to build on that.”
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