• Category 1

    Selected in 2023

  • Grades: k - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 54,539
    Student Enrollment: 217
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0.5%
    White/Caucasian: 87.2%
    Hispanic: 5.5%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 1.4%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:18
    % Reduced Lunch: 9.2%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1894
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kristi Jacobs
  • CONTACT:
    10040 South Cottonwood Road
    Bozeman, MT 59718
    406-587-1305
    kjacobs@andersonmt.org
Anderson 7-8
Bozeman, MT
Anderson has universal school wide expectations of “Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be a Learner.”
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Anderson School is an independent K-8 Elementary School District located south of Bozeman, Montana. Anderson is considered a “county school” and serves approximately 215 students who both reside within our school district and approximately 40% that choose to attend the school as out of district students. There is a single administrator who serves as both the superintendent and principal for the district. The school prides itself on class sizes below the Montana state accreditation standards.This lower class size allows for more individualized attention to students' needs and the ability to create a close knit community.Anderson has a very dedicated teaching staff, sharing their expertise and craft as teachers.In the spring 2023 Smarter Balanced Assessments, 82% of our 3rd-8th grade students were proficient in English Language Arts and 77% were proficient in Math.This is twice the state proficiency average in each discipline. Students at Anderson School receive a well-rounded education including English Language Arts,Mathematics,Science,Social Studies. Students participate at least a few times a week in Health Enhancement,Music Education,Library,Technology Education,Spanish and Art taught by certified teachers.Student achievements and our community is celebrated weekly during our Friday Flag Ceremony assembly.All staff and students say the pledge, sing a patriotic song, recognize our “Proud Panthers,” and make announcements.This gathering as a school community for all students K-8, is one of the main ways Anderson School differs from other schools around the country.The ability to be its own school and school district allows the board of trustees and superintendent to work with staff on creating an engaging and caring community.This and its small size work to make Anderson the incredible learning institution it is.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
There are a variety of factors that created positive change within Anderson School. One of the largest is the use of our MTSS system. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a three-tiered intervention process. The principles and practices of MTSS are based upon what research has shown to be effective in both creating successful and sustainable system change as well as what is necessary in providing the most effective instruction to all students.The framework is designed to address the academic needs of every student,regardless of whether the students are struggling or have advanced learning needs.We have served as a model MTSS school for the state of Montana and our staff has trained other schools around the state in this process.As part of our MTSS system we have adopted a problem solving process consisting of Teacher Team Meetings, Teacher Assistance Teams, and weekly Tier 3 meetings. This problem solving process helps us look at data for each student and see if they are making appropriate gains in academic areas.

3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
Our ESEA funding has helped support the school by allowing us to maintain small class sizes and provide targeted intervention to our students. It also helps us fund the position of student coordinator. All of these positions have led to the school’s current success.
The ESEA funds also help to fund an intervention teacher for reading and math. We have been fortunate to have a certified teacher in a classified position as our interventionist. This individual provides targeted intervention to students as determined through our MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) system. This helps us instruct students in both a tier 2 and tier 3 setting with a researched based reading or math intervention program.
The student coordinator position is unique to Anderson School and is supported by our ESEA funds. The student coordinator is a certified teacher on special assignment. This individual oversees our MTSS process and implementation.This includes all of our benchmark testing, Teacher Team Meetings, Teacher Assistance Team, and serves as the testing coordinator.The individual also oversees our para educators schedule and the interventions they are implementing within the school.Being a single administrator district, our success would not be possible without this position because the superintendent/principal would not have the time to take on these duties as well.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
The state of Montana allows each district to have eight Pupil Instructional Related days annually. This allows teachers to participate in various professional development and have time for beginning of the year orientation. Our annual parent/teacher conferences are part of this, as well. Anderson staff also utilizes the days for 12 hours of flexible professional development in areas they are wanting to learn more about. This type of flexibility allows the staff personal choice over their professional development.Anderson School prides itself on teachers having a say in what their professional needs are. Every teacher sits on at least one committee within the school.Teachers get to choose their committees.The number of committees a teacher serves on varies based upon their years of experience. Committees are developed when a need is seen by staff or the board of trustees, but our usual committees are leadership, negotiations, professional development, technology, curriculum, culture/wellness, and MTSS. The committees then report through both email and at staff meetings about what is currently occurring in that committee. This helps all teachers voice their opinions about various happenings at the school.As part of the staff collective bargaining agreement, certified staff members have to complete a professional development plan every year in order to step up on the matrix. This plan is developed in the fall, approved by committee members, and then shared back with the school administration in the spring. Each staff member has their choice in what they want to focus on during that school year for their professional development plan, and they can partner with other staff members.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
Anderson has universal school wide expectations of “Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be a Learner.” These expectations are taught at the beginning of the year by teachers and reinforced on a daily basis. Anderson School implements PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) school wide. Students receive “Panther Points” in every environment: classrooms, hallways, playground, and lunch room, for following these expectations. Students use Panther Points to purchase from a school store a few times a month.
Each classroom works to build community through weekly class meetings. They also engage in a variety of field trips outside of school like skiing, tubing, and hiking to allow students an opportunity to connect with each other and their teachers outside of the classroom setting. Students also go out and help in the neighborhood by picking up trash as part of our student council. They are able to take advantage of living in a beautiful place like Bozeman, Montana.
Buddies are established between our kindergarteners and our 8th graders and our 1st and 7th graders, helping each student feel connected to school and have an older student to mentor and guide them. Our buddy program is a highlight of students' time at Anderson school and helps students make connections that last. It also warms staff members' hearts when they see the students interact together. On the 8th grade trip to DC, students often voluntarily purchase a small momento for their kindergarten buddy.
Our students are provided opportunities in technology and coding to prepare them for various STEM careers. We bring in a variety of outside presenters from across the state to expose our students to different careers and opportunities.
Students at Anderson school have high expectations for behavior and academics, helping prepare them for the future ahead. A strong emphasis is placed on building relationships between students and between staff members and students so that every child knows they have peers and adults they can depend on at school.
School surveys are completed annually for students and parents. These surveys provide information and feedback from all stakeholders. The survey results are looked at by the superintendent and shared with the board of trustees. The appropriate committee also look at the results and changes made accordingly.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Anderson School prides itself on engaging our parent community and reaching out to the broader Gallatin Valley community. Communication with our parent community is the most important strategy in keeping everyone engaged. Classroom teachers send weekly newsletters about happenings within their classrooms. The school sends monthly newsletters called the Panther Paw which includes updates on what is happening at the school. We have recently started using the application ParentSquare which has been helpful in providing up-to-date information for our parent community.
We have a very active parent council at Anderson that is run by parent volunteers. They Organize fun community events like movie nights and bingo nights in our gym,and also support activities. The parent council fundraises annually to help support art, jazz band, and choir, and they offset additional expenses such as curriculum purchases.
To help share information within the district, the superintendent holds “coffees” that are open to the entire community four times a year. Various topics are discussed from our MTSS systems, to curriculum, to legislative actions, and anything else that is timely. There is also an opportunity for parents to connect and have a question and answer session with the superintendent. Anderson partners with the Gallatin Valley United Way to help provide an afterschool program for students. The United Way annual grant helps us deliver this service to our families at a very reasonable price so that they may finish their work day without worrying about childcare for their children.
Anderson also participates in the Gallatin Valley Farm to school program providing local foods to our students for lunch and exposing them to different vegetables each month. This is done through our food service program. We have approximately 85% of our students and 50% of our staff eat lunch at Anderson school daily. We are fortunate to be in a college town with Montana State University located in Bozeman. This offers our students the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Rockies On the MSU campus and attend special sporting events just for local students. Students within the School of Education at Montana State also come to Anderson for various practicum classes and to complete their student teaching. We have also utilized the engineering department and other departments to come do special lessons with our students and project plans for the school.All of these endeavors help strengthen the work we do in and outside of the classroom.

Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2023

  • Grades: k - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 54,539
    Student Enrollment: 217
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0.5%
    White/Caucasian: 87.2%
    Hispanic: 5.5%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 1.4%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:18
    % Reduced Lunch: 9.2%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1894
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kristi Jacobs
  • CONTACT:
    10040 South Cottonwood Road
    Bozeman, MT 59718
    406-587-1305
    kjacobs@andersonmt.org