• Category 2

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 36,345
    Student Enrollment: 200
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 90%
    White/Caucasian: 3%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
    % Reduced Lunch: 95%
    % ELL Learners: 0.5%
    Founded: 1968
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Ms. Aretha McDonald
  • CONTACT:
    709 Meadowlane Drive
    Phenix, AL 36869
    334-298-2568
    amcdonald@pcboe.net
Meadowlane Elementary School
Phenix, AL
Student achievement is the catalyst for all programs and initiatives.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Title Parent Involvement Meeting
School Parent Compact
Family Literacy Night
Get the Scoop on Assessment (Ice Cream Social)
STEM Family Literacy Night
Donuts or Dads
Muffins for Moms
PAWS N Pastries for Grandparents
Honors Assemblies
End of the Year Academic Awards Celebration
Open House
Math Bingo Night
Bridging the Gap Between Home and School
Parents Advisory Meeting
Pastries for Parents


Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
MES operates of the belief of shared ownership,accountability and teamwork to ensure students will become successful and productive members of the society, It would be very difficult to credit one activity for strengthening ties to the community. The following activities have been initiated to improve our efforts to work towards one goal ; STEM Night,Family Literacy Night, Muffins Moms/Donuts for Dads, Annual Title I meetings,Read Across America, Bridging the Gap Between Home and School, Career Day, Math Bingo Night held at local Housing Authoring Recreation Center,Paws N Pastries for Grandparents,United Way fundraiser, March of Dimes fundraiser, Relay for Life fundraiser, Canned Food Drive,Nursing Home Care Packs,walking the neighborhood passing out flyers for early registration,and South Griffin Lodge Boys Mentoring Program, that as been a consistent entity in teaching life skills as well as character education to male students.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
My philosophy of school change and improvement is student focused and the belief in shared ownership and accountability by all stakeholders. Education is a shared responsibility between the school, family, and the community, with the best results coming when all three are working together. By working together, we can achieve more!
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Increase math and reading proficiency
Decrease chronic absenteeism
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
"Committed to Excellence Everday..All Day" is the only path to follow that ensures MES “scholars” are successful. We pride ourselves in setting high expectations as well as staying true to the vision and promoting a culture of collective efficacy. Multiple factors have contributed to the success of our school.These factors include buy-in, shared ownership/goal setting and the infusing of technology.There is a shared belief that all students can learn and "we" as a team will do whatever it takes for all students.This mindset is demonstrated by the principal, teachers, students and parents.Teachers feel a sense of empowerment which trickles down to the student. Buy-in has become a major part of cultivating a fertile climate for student growth and achievement.Teachers own their student data with a sense of pride regardless of the data results, set goals collectively/individually and use enhanced technology instruction to support efforts of individualized learning.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Student achievement is the catalyst for all programs and initiatives. The entire school district went through AdvancED a year ago. While going through this process a collaborative strategic plan was developed based on student needs and the superintendent of schools i3 (inquiry based learning, impact, innovation) initiative.The strategic plan was a major step in moving our school forward. MES became laser focus on student data, and best practices that emphasized student ownership and accountability.Teachers designed lessons plans that provided differentiated instruction, met weekly for grade level data meetings to determine appropriate goals and delivered targeted instruction. An additional 30 minutes of small group remediation/acceleration instruction was added to the master schedule for(Targeting Interferences Time )and WIN Time(What I Need ). Acceleration of learning was delivered in conjunction with the i3 initiative,"Hands On, Minds On Learning”, STEM and enhanced technology .
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
ESEA funding is essential to the academic success of our students and our improvements efforts school-wide. Funding is used for staffing, instruction, technology, programs and family engagement. ESEA funds have afforded us the opportunity to reduce class size by hiring teachers and paraprofessionals. In keeping with our efforts to improve student achievement, we hired a adjunct interventionist to work with struggling readers that were screened has having dyslexia characteristics, purchased an on-line program that offered instruction in phonics, decoding,fluency, comprehension, 1:1 digital devices for all students and implemented an afterschool program. Family engagement is at the heart of our improvements. This funding allows MES to conduct family engagement activities twice a month morning and evenings throughout the school year.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Our school district has invested in a multitude of professional development for faculty and staff at the district level as well as the local school. Professional development is always goal focused, monitored and on-going throughout the year beginning in the summer before staff members return to school. Each year we identify school-wide goals to meet the needs of our students to improve teaching and learning.The following professional development training has been critical to improving student achievement:
Professional Learning Communities Book Studies (Quality Questioning, Teach Like A Champion, Leader In Me
Google G Suite Training
Discovery Education
Alabama Best Practices
Curriculum Pacing Guides
DIBELS
Renaissance
Vertical Planning-School-Wide Data Analysis
AMSTI
OGAP
Reading Wonders
Investigations
ARI
STEM
LexiaCore
Dreambox

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is the key component that drives instructional decisions at MES. At the beginning of each year teachers, reading specialist, and principal analyze formative and summative assessments, such ELA and math benchmarks. Each grade level identifies strengths and weakness, interventions and action steps are written in our continuous improvement plan (ACIP) based on the data results. Classroom teachers use the previous year's test results to plan tiered instruction based on individual needs and identify students that need Tier 2 intervention or Tier 3 intervention.The data is also used to target learning goals for the academic year. Once the learning goals have been established, professional development learning for teachers are determined to improve student achievement. Continuous weekly collaboration /grade level data meetings take place throughout the year to review current data, interventions, standards, strategies,and goals.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
MES culture can simply be described as a small community school that is family oriented, student focused and committed to excellence. Students and family members are all welcomed by name and students are referred to as “scholars.” Faculty and staff members are referred to as “champions, “that will do whatever it takes to ensure all students are learning and growing everyday...all day. Faculty and Staff wear the title ‘champions as a badge of honor and a voice for each child that enters through the school doors. We consider ourselves as champions for each other and most importantly champions for our students. Champion students, parents and faculty members operate on the belief of shared ownership, with the growth mindset of change agents and a dedication, as well as commitment to the school vision and mission which includes inquiry based learning, impact, innovation and collaboration.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 36,345
    Student Enrollment: 200
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 90%
    White/Caucasian: 3%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
    % Reduced Lunch: 95%
    % ELL Learners: 0.5%
    Founded: 1968
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Ms. Aretha McDonald
  • CONTACT:
    709 Meadowlane Drive
    Phenix, AL 36869
    334-298-2568
    amcdonald@pcboe.net