• Category 2

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,243
    Student Enrollment: 173
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 93%
    Hispanic: 4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:22
    % Reduced Lunch: 51%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1995
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Robyn Cox
  • CONTACT:
    395 West 100 South
    Fountain Green, UT 84632
    435-445-3316
    robyn.cox@nsanepte.org
Fountain Green Elementary School
Fountain Green, UT
"Our focus is to get the most out of every minute."
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Over the past few years, Fountain Green Elementary has seen continuous growth in all areas, notably in our lowest 25% of students. Our growth is consistently 10% higher than the state average amongst all students. The growth of our struggling students is 20% higher than state averages. We improved our scores by 9.3% in this area from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022.
This growth has two main factors, our strong whole group Tier I instruction and our interventions and extensions.
As an instructional team, we were always discussing and looking for ways to increase educational impact. Research shows that students who are not on grade level need extra reading time, in addition to their Tier I reading instruction. The amount of intervention time needed for struggling students becomes increasingly more with age. One way we tackled this problem was by building a reading lab where students can receive specific small group or one on one instruction on their level.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
The greatest contributing factors that have promoted positive change in our school are our teachers' collaborative meetings and our professional development.
Fountain Green Elementary only has one class per grade level. This can be a challenge when trying to find professional support. Our teachers faced this head-on. They meet in K-2nd, 3rd/4th, and 5th/6th-grade level meetings three times per month. In addition, we meet in whole-school collaborative meetings for Language Arts and Math once per month. It is in these meetings that we look at current data, track to see what interventions are working, and move students to new groups and challenges every four to six weeks.
Because of these meetings, students are placed where they need to be for their learning. They are receiving feedback, doing passion projects, and growing.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
ESEA funding has allowed us to fund an incredible instructor for our reading lab. She places focus on each student's needs with high expectations and kindness. Our teachers fully support the lab because they see the results.
We are continually trying to make improvements by providing training and professional development to this instructor.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
A handful of years ago Fountain Green Elementary participated in "Assessment to Achievement". This was a state-provided program that allowed the schools involved to receive high-quality instruction on how to look at and use data. The state provided in-classroom coaching and support for each school. This helped us begin the journey of using data effectively
Our school worked hard on learning how to hold collaborative meetings. The focus was to get the most out of every minute. Looking at data was an important part but the decisions made, the scheduling changes, and the guarantee that students were getting what they needed was the most important result for our teams. Through state and district training, we have created high-functioning teams that get things accomplished.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
The cultural shift came from looking at our interventions and determining that what we had been doing, was not working. Students were not always placed in the correct intervention and were often left there too long.
We had to tackle the fact that struggling students in kindergarten need 15 additional minutes of reading or math instruction, 1st graders need 30-45 minutes, 2nd graders, 45 minutes, and a struggling third grader needs 90 minutes to get them reading at grade level.
Where do we find that time and space? Our conversations continually reverted to having strong Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions and that those interventions should have a highly skilled instructor in a dedicated fun environment. Nine times out of ten students who are struggling know they are struggling. They are taken from a warm inviting classroom full of friends out to a nook or hallway that has been set up as a make-shift space to attempt learning. Our team wanted a reading lab, and we wanted a great one.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Fountain Green is a community full of willing and supportive parents and citizens. Some of the programs that we have implemented utilize volunteers and we have many step up every year. Our school works with the local Lions Club on several projects. We collaborate with City Hall and the public library to promote learning all year and through the summer.
Each year our Community Council holds a Literacy Night. Through the effort of many community members, the themes of our Literacy Nights have included STEM, Art, Authors, Career and College, The Great Outdoors, and Space. These volunteers provide a night full of food, fun, and learning where students and families are given at-home learning activities and books.
Our PTA supports the school through monthly activities, book fairs, funding for extra programs or rewards, and with their volunteers.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,243
    Student Enrollment: 173
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 93%
    Hispanic: 4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 1%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:22
    % Reduced Lunch: 51%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1995
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Robyn Cox
  • CONTACT:
    395 West 100 South
    Fountain Green, UT 84632
    435-445-3316
    robyn.cox@nsanepte.org