• Category 1

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 210
    Student Enrollment: 43
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 60%
    Hispanic: 40%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:10
    % Reduced Lunch: 59.6%
    % ELL Learners: 32%
    Founded: 1930
  • PRINCIPAL:
    LeAnn Smith
  • CONTACT:
    PO Box 155
    Albin, WY 82050
    307-245-4090
    leann.smith@laramie2.org
Albin Elementary School
Albin, WY
Change needs to be substantiated with a clear purpose and backed with research and evidence of effectiveness.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
There are many programs in place that ensure family involvement. Programs include Parent Group, Kindergarten Prep, and numerous seasonal programs. Kindergarten Prep is held to help prepare preschool-age children for kindergarten by providing opportunities for them to engage in fine and gross motor skill activities, literacy lessons, early learning skills, and technology-based instruction. The Albin Parent Group meets monthly and consists of parents who seek to improve the educational outcomes of students at Albin Elementary School by hosting family nights, providing incentives for students who demonstrate outstanding moral and academic achievement. The parent group strives to create a sense of community with students, parents, and stakeholders. Seasonal programs include music concerts, art shows, technology and literacy nights. Collectively, these programs bring staff, students, and parents together and demonstrate that the work the children are doing is valuable and significant.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
The surrounding community has a long-standing tradition of taking ownership of school success as well as the well-being of each child enrolled at Albin Elementary School. The school parent group is extremely valuable, as they help to strengthen ties between the school and the community through their coordination events and activities. Parents volunteer their time and use their leadership skills to help ensure students have premier educational opportunities. Benefactors step in to ensure unmet needs are met and students have what they need to succeed. Organizations support students by hosting learning activities that help students expand their skills through higher-level application opportunities. Through partnerships with parents, families, and community organizations, Albin students are cared for as scholars and as highly valued, young, community members.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Meaningful change for the sake of personal or professional growth is embraced; however, change needs to be substantiated with a clear purpose and backed with research and evidence of effectiveness.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
1. Students at Albin Elementary School will demonstrate proficiency on WYTOPP that exceeds state levels of achievement.

2. All students will meet or exceed their individualized growth goals as measured by Spring MAP assessment.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Resolute dedication to the success of each individual student is the single most important factor in the success of our school. A culture of collaboration is alive in the halls, classrooms, and hearts of Albin stakeholders. Parents, community members, and staff members join forces to provide resources necessary to meet students’ academic, social, and economic needs. We realize that school is about more than academic growth. It is about empowering students and their families to overcome obstacles in their lives. Albin Elementary School strives to instill a desire for students, even during the most difficult times, to persevere and meet and exceed their innate potential.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Compass Learning from Edgenuity is a premier, standards-based, instructional tool used in the AES learning lab. Compass provides opportunities for students to not only enrich but accelerate their learning. Custom paths are created based on MAP assessment results. As a result of this highly differentiated learning lab, students with high achievement scores are provided with material at the appropriate academic level. This has contributed to positive growth scores even in high achieving students, which is a population that sometimes has difficulty achieving significant growth.

Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title I funds are used to provide equitable and challenging learning experiences that ensure all students have sufficient opportunities to develop learning, thinking, and life skills that lead to success at the next level. After careful analysis of data, students needing intervention are identified, and specific programs are implemented based on individual student deficiencies in learning. The Title I teacher diagnoses the specific area or areas of need and then provides direct instruction in the identified area. These students are regularly monitored for progress to assure that interventions are effective and they are gaining at an accelerated rate.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Teachers and students benefit from the researched-based strategies that have resulted from professional development opportunities. During PLC meetings student learning and assessment data are discussed, and teachers collaborate to improve instruction and learning. Students who need more support to be successful are provided with interventions. Staff meetings provide staff members the opportunity to coordinate schedules, plan activities and assessments, and provide reports. The principal uses the format of staff meetings to help reinforce positive school cultural components and areas for growth. “Guru” reports are given by staff members to provide each other with innovative ideas and to spark enthusiasm for teaching and learning. The entire teaching staff is certified and trained to positively communicate with students and to successfully handle crisis situations. All teachers have attended national level conferences to allow them the opportunity to learn from experts.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
School leadership and staff clearly hold one another accountable to high expectations for professional practice as they work to be both diagnostic and prescriptive in their approach to creating successful students. After both formal and informal data are collected via formative and summative assessments, teachers, the principal, and/or instructional paraprofessionals analyze it. In addition, students analyze their own assessments results and discuss their areas of growth and need with their teachers. MAP assessment results are utilized to derive individual online learning paths for students. Data analysis processes improve student achievement and inform decision making by helping students to understand where they are currently performing and their future performance goals. Data also informs teachers as they implement growth goals for every student, plan and implement instruction, provide differentiation and enrichment, and serve students.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Albin students and staff work incredibly hard every single day on the skills necessary to be successful. Growth based mindset is an ongoing focus for staff and students as the school's culture embodies continual improvement. Even so, students and staff keep a focus on another important detail, which is to be people of character. Students will not leave Albin with a complete education if their focus is only on academic growth. Albin students learn to handle themselves with high levels of integrity. Without a doubt, students endeavor to master instructional standards and exhibit sound work ethic. Just as importantly, Albin students learn about being good citizens, and valuing their friends, their community, the great state of WYOMING, and the world around them.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 210
    Student Enrollment: 43
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 60%
    Hispanic: 40%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:10
    % Reduced Lunch: 59.6%
    % ELL Learners: 32%
    Founded: 1930
  • PRINCIPAL:
    LeAnn Smith
  • CONTACT:
    PO Box 155
    Albin, WY 82050
    307-245-4090
    leann.smith@laramie2.org