• Category 2

    Selected in 2024

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 14,157
    Student Enrollment: 240
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 31%
    White/Caucasian: 29%
    Hispanic: 29%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 6%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 74%
    % ELL Learners: 47%
    Founded: 1956
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Jay Bedwell
  • CONTACT:
    5240 W 22nd St
    Speedway, IN 46224
    317-244-9836
    jbedwell@speedwayschools.net
James A Allison Elementary School
Speedway, IN
"No matter how good you get, you can always get better."
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Allison Elementary celebrates a diverse student population with students from 19 different countries and 11 different languages spoken. We are consistently above state averages in standardized ELA and math testing pass rates with above a 95% pass rate on our state’s 3rd grade reading test. Our federal accountability report card has been Meets Expectations for the last two school years as well as being recognized with the U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary Schools Award for the last two years. We attribute these successes to strong Tier 1 academic programming, K-6 SEL lessons, and a school-wide PBIS program with a solid MTSS system to support Tier 2 and 3 students. Teachers often offer to take students who may not be on their official class roster to help with academic skills, provide additional emotional breaks to get back into their thinking brain, or provide a different environment to help reset the student. This is especially helpful for our students new to the U.S.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
For academics, we have implemented SPARK, an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to the traditional intervention pull out groups, where our highest need students are working with the best trained person. We analyze formative data to set up skill based activities for differentiated groups. Classroom teachers, ELL teacher, SpEd teacher, & paras converge in 30 minute time blocks for each grade level for daily math & reading SPARK times. For SEL, our home school advisor & corporation behaviorist have provided PD the last two years to become a trauma informed school. Our HSA also works alongside teachers to provide weekly SEL lessons with the Second Steps curriculum. Along with our school-wide PBIS Allison Cool Kids program, our MTSS pyramid is solid. We have also implemented a unique approach to our after school tutoring program that is enjoyable & academically beneficial to our students. We use Minds in Motion, a program based in brain research & science, to strengthen the vestibular system.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
The bulk of our district Title I funds are spent covering the salary & benefits of an instructional coach in each of our four elementary schools. The coach team supports district-wide initiatives like creating curriculum maps, pacing guides, sharing PD ideas & resources. At Allison Elementary, the coach encourages success for all groups of students by leading systemic, building-based PD for teachers on a variety of topics tailored to the needs of the staff & students during grade level team meetings and/or student centered coaching cycles. She also provides additional PD alongside the building principal specific for new teachers to the building. Wrapping around our teachers with personalized attention in professional development is critical for their success, retention, & therefore the success of our students. The instructional coach is the lead in helping teachers dig into their student data & a critical member of the MTSS team.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
Our main focus during the 2023-24 school year was aligning our reading & writing curricula with the science of reading research. All students in grades K-2 have a daily 45 minute lesson following the Orton Gillingham methodology of explicitly teaching phonics. In grades 3-6 all students have a daily 30 minute lesson in morphology where the focus is explicitly learning, practicing, & applying a new morpheme each week. All students in grades K-6 have a writing curriculum map tailored in knowing the ingredients needed for each writing genre with specific mini-lessons to connect both reading & writing standards together. During bi-weekly grade level team meetings, the principal, coach, & teachers discuss student progress using formative data to make needed adjustments to curricular goals. Our district wide curriculum maps & pacing guides help keep our solid academic foundation moving forward but also allows us to problem solve grade level & individual student needs along the way.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
No matter how good you get, you can always get better is a way our staff envisions continuous improvement. Several professional development focuses helped shape where we are today: growth mindset practices for teachers and students, trauma informed schools professional development for teachers, and science of reading training for teachers. Our principal continues to reinforce a growth mindset concept and PBIS focus on morning announcements to start everyone’s day with common language. We use the power of “yet” and Allison Cool Kids are respectful, responsible, and safe in our everyday interactions. Our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (SEL, PBIS, and RTI) has become an all-hands-on-deck approach with a perspective that these are our students and anyone in the building can help.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Our school’s home school advisor helps build a strong partnership between our school and our families whether that comes in the form of connecting families to available community resources or making home visits. SPARKY’S closet is a district wide resource supported by the community for our families providing basic needs like food, clothing, and hygiene products. Kids Hope Mentors from Speedway Baptist Church partner with a first grader and meet with them for lunch once a week until the student becomes a 7th grader. We also partner with the M.A. Rooney Foundation to provide teachers with regular consultation for Orton-Gillingham support & small group reading structures. Students also have access to two health community partnerships in our building with a nurse from Shalom Health Care Center and two counselors from Cummins Behavioral Health System.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2024

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 14,157
    Student Enrollment: 240
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 31%
    White/Caucasian: 29%
    Hispanic: 29%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 6%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 74%
    % ELL Learners: 47%
    Founded: 1956
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Jay Bedwell
  • CONTACT:
    5240 W 22nd St
    Speedway, IN 46224
    317-244-9836
    jbedwell@speedwayschools.net