We were ecstatic about student achievement. Teachers could tell stories that were positive, and it just kind of helped all of us get excited by it.
RUTH HEINRICHS, Former Principal
The Challenge
Almost two decades ago, Ruth Heinrichs was principal at Riley Elementary School, in Great Bend, Kansas. She helmed a diverse, economically disadvantaged school that faced many challenges and lagged behind. “It was typical for Riley to be significantly lower than the other schools,” she recalls. “That was very disconcerting.”
At the time, only 23% of sixth graders were reading on or above grade level. “With that kind of data, we knew that our students were not going to be successful in middle school,” Heinrichs says, “so it became very real to us that we
had to do something.”
More than 90% of the staff voted in 1998 to implement SFA with the help of a grant. Before this, Riley teachers worked hard to help students but were frustrated by a lack of progress. “As we analyzed what we were spending our time on, there were things that really didn’t make a difference,” Heinrichs says. She knew that teachers needed tools to help them work smarter, not harder. SFA’s
whole-school approach fit the bill.
The Results
It is clear that the longstanding relationship with SFA continues to foster student achievement in Great Bend. Riley has sustained improvement and has even reached new heights in recent years. In 2009, 85% of sixth graders scored proficient on the Kansas Reading Assessment; 86% scored proficient in 2010; and scores increased to 92% in 2011.
Buoyed by Riley’s example, other schools in the district have also built successful partnerships with SFA. For example, nearby Lincoln Elementary was struggling with its reading scores. After a visit to Riley, Lincoln’s staff voted to implement SFA, in 2004. Since then, Lincoln’s performance numbers have been climbing. In 2009, 97% of Lincoln’s sixth graders scored proficient on the Kansas Reading
Assessment; in 2011, that number increased to 100%.
Grand Bend schools are also impressed by SFA’s drive to stay abreast of education’s ever-changing climate. For example, incoming Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will place higher demands on students and teachers. But with SFA’s already rigorous standards, Heinrichs feels that Riley Elementary is equipped to meet these new challenges. “I think we are well prepared,” she said. “Common Core aligns better with SFA than our old standards.”
Just as they did in implementing SFA, other schools in the district are following Riley’s lead in preparing for CCSS. Says Heinrichs, “It was typical for teachers to look at Riley teachers, and [Lincoln’s], realizing that they were already using many of those strategies at that grade level.”