• Category 2

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: pre k - 4
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 28
    Student Enrollment: 380
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2%
    White/Caucasian: 98%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:23
    % Reduced Lunch: 100%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 2005
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Debbie Heath
  • CONTACT:
    35190 Linton Rd.
    Logan, OH 43138
    740-279-5611
    trina.barrell@gmail.com
Chieftain Elementary School
Logan, OH
People are actually happy to be there.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Families play a key role in reading success. Reading is a focus at our building. Teachers meet with students to help them understand their reading level, where they need to go and how they are going to get there. This is communicated to parents as well through letters home. We send home monthly newsletters with reading tips and ideas for parents to implement at home. We encourage volunteers and had over 3,700 volunteer hours last year. Volunteers come in to read with students, do small group work and help with reading stations. We hold a Family Literacy Night every year to promote reading success and encourage parents to read with their students. Every child leaves with a free book. Students are given free books as rewards for reading success, good behavior and any other reason we can find to get books in their hands.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
I believe the most successful activities that strengthen ties to our community are our family events. We bring families in for fun and games all related to reading. We model to parents how to not only read with students but how to ask questions that will lead to higher level thinking and comprehension. At our family events we have multiple community groups there to share things in our community, connecting reading and learning such as Hocking Soil and Conservation, Ed Fickel’s Beekeeping, Rural Action, Zero Waste, COSI, local musicians and storytellers and many more. We of course feed families when they come which means our PTO is involved in fundraising to help cover these expenses. We have sponsored outdoor cookouts and sometimes we just do a simple, fun, reading night with cookies and milk. Food always gets families out and involved. We also have movie nights throughout the year so families can have a free night of entertainment.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.

I believe that school change and improvement has to start with a dynamic leader who believes in their staff and students. They have to then empower their staff to believe in themselves and that what they do matters. Collective efficacy is key to success in a building. You start with one basic focus that you want to live and breathe for the next few years and you learn everything you can about. You develop your staff in this area. You pour resources and time into it and communicate it to parents until they can communicate it back. Then you monitor data and celebrate every success along the way. You give staff ice cream days because they are amazing. You recognize and honor parents who go above and beyond at board meetings. You give students prizes for great things. Making sure everyone is a part of the process ensures that everyone wants to succeed and is proud of every person on the team making it happen.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Create an environment that promotes independent readers who take ownership of their learning by improving the building reading proficient score on the AIR ELA assessment to the state proficient score of 80%(third grade: from 74.2% to 80% or higher, fourth grade: from 74.6% to 80% or higher). Improve the number of on-track students in K-3 Literacy as measured by the STAR EL assessment to a score of 49.3% or higher.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Guided reading is one of the single most important factors that others could replicate. We brought in Ohio University Professor, Terri Green to help us implement and then started with a small group of teachers willing to try the new program. The first 20 days are crucial to setting routines and expectations. These teachers became experts and then other teachers in our building and then our district came in to do peer observations and ask questions about the process. Picking teachers who are positive and willing to share with their peers is a key to success. Getting buy in from your building will depend on the positive way it is approached and the people that start the implementation. Aligning our building goals to this reading program and sharing successes with all staff let all families and staff know how much we value reading at Chieftain Elementary.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Guided reading has truly had a positive effect on our reading scores. We started guided reading along with a writing focus three years ago. Guided reading is used in all classrooms K-4. We had full buy in and have increased our writing time in all grade levels K-4 as well. We have a great team of Title teachers as well who provide specific skill instruction for all grade levels. We set measurable goals to see an increase in our scores and have made progress each year. We have improved by 5% or more each year on our K3 Literacy goal and have achieved an A in gap closing measures.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Federal funds are used district wide to pay for all Title/ESEA teachers. District federal funds are also used for teacher resources and books. District professional development is paid for using federal funds and PD matches our greatest needs. This year, district-wide, we have highlighted writing instruction as our greatest area of need. At the building level, funds are used for all parent engagement activities and events. All evening literacy events are paid for from building funds and include paying authors, purchasing books and supplies needed for a fun, successful event. Other monies are used to support teachers and the educational needs of students.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
The critical PD was with our expert, Terri Green. She did large group PD at our district PD days which was important to get the concept and overall ideas across to large groups of staff. Then she did focused work with our team of teachers that were the initial implementers. She came into classrooms and modeled guided reading. She then came back and observed and gave feedback. She was available for release days to answer questions and problem solve as we moved through the process. She came back, going deeper into reading/writing processes with teachers. She was always willing to come in and work with students while teachers observed and then came up with plans for them to implement and try on their own. We also sent teachers to state Smekens training which reinforced the concepts we were working on. You have to be willing to provide time and training (yes that means getting subs) to make sure teachers feel confident with what they know in order to implement correctly in class.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
We have many data points that play a key role in classrooms for all content areas. Teachers use STAR, Lexia, DRA, and classroom assessment data to help plan guided reading groups and Title groups. These groups are fluid and change as student needs change. We use key data from state testing and value added to look at specific standards that need addressed by teacher and grade level. Teachers make goals to address areas of improvement and monitor progress in their TBT’s. If they see another teacher doing well in an area they are struggling they set up peer observations and feedback to improve their own instruction.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The school culture at Chieftain is what makes it the place to be. When you walk in you feel this welcoming burst of energy. People are actually happy to be there. There is camaraderie, purpose and joy. When you talk to staff, parents or students they love to share successes and you will hear positive, positive, positive. Teachers believe what they do makes a difference and parents recognize this and appreciate it. Parents are more than happy to share what their school does for them and we get positive feedback all the time. Teachers love to celebrate successes and share great things that are happening in their room or a colleagues room. They are quick to give praise to anyone and are a true collaborative team.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: pre k - 4
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 28
    Student Enrollment: 380
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2%
    White/Caucasian: 98%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:23
    % Reduced Lunch: 100%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 2005
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Debbie Heath
  • CONTACT:
    35190 Linton Rd.
    Logan, OH 43138
    740-279-5611
    trina.barrell@gmail.com