For the majority of our students who go into kindergarten through Curiosity Corner, there is a marked difference from those who don’t.
JOE NOCERA, Principal of Wells Academy
The Challenge
While distinctly different in some aspects, three school districts in Ohio all have one thing in common: their schools have seen significant academic and behavioral improvements by implementing Success for All. More than 10 schools in Alliance, Princeton City and Steubenville have enjoyed significant benefits after adopting the SFA whole-school reform strategy.
Looking to improve test scores among its large, economically disadvantaged population, Wells Academy in Steubenville City School District, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, adopted SFA in 2000 after receiving a grant. The district chose SFA for its clear implementation process and research-proven effect on student achievement. “We liked it because it placed students where they needed to be based on their individual needs,” says Wells principal Joe Nocera.
Northside Elementary School in Alliance City School District – a medium-sized district situated in the state’s northeast corner – sought a strategy that would boost stalled academic progress. For five years, test scores at Northside showed slow but steady improvement; however, the staff wanted to do more.
Brenda Miller, principal of Lincoln Heights Elementary in Princeton City School District, was looking for a whole school reform strategy with proven results. Just north of Cincinnati, the district serves a large, urban population. “I really was drawn to the idea of making changes that would not only impact our students academically,” Miller says, “but would help with the climate and culture of our building – the attendance of our students, the overall discipline.”
The Results
During its many year partnership with SFA, Wells Academy has accumulated an impressive list of accolades. It was named Ohio’s top school in 2011–12 based on state standardized test scores. The Education Trust awarded a Dispelling the Myth Award to the school in 2008, and the U.S. Department of Education designated it a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2003–04 and 2004–05. As well, Wells boasts a remarkable academic record: Since 2005, 100 percent of Wells students have scored on or above grade level on the Ohio Achievement Assessment in reading.
Schools in Princeton City and Alliance are also making great strides with SFA. Princeton City’s Lincoln Heights launched SFA in fall 2011 with a baseline of 25.5% of students reading on or above grade level. By the fourth quarter, the school – where 96% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches – had more than doubled that rate to 52%.
After just two years of using SFA’s whole-school approach, results at Northside in Alliance –where 90.9% of students receive free or reduced-price lunches – have exceeded expectations. At the beginning of the 2011–12 school year, 57% of students were reading on or above grade level. By the end of the year, that number had jumped to 80%.
As SFA continues to act as a trusted partner to help schools across Ohio to improve how their teachers teach and students achieve, it looks forward to working together to raise that bar even further.