Choose Excellence Over Adequacy

Kerry Lacock

Choose Excellence Over Adequacy

Last August, our school year began with a positive atmosphere because our schools and the district made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). This is the goal set for us by the No Child Left Behind Law. This was a goal set for us by someone else and although we really had no say in it, we did it. The vision for Lakin USD 215 was not to be just adequate. So last August, our faculty and staff set a higher goal. We want to be excellent not adequate. We focused time and resources towards moving each child tested to the next performance category. We had success club which gave additional opportunities to students who needed a little extra to get over the hump. The extras made all the difference.

When you are trying to create and maintain high quality schools you must focus on the individual children and provide them opportunities to be successful. But to evaluate the school system as a whole, you must look at data at the grade level, building, and district level. Individual students must be our focus and if we take care of each of them, our grade level, building level, and district level data would keep improving. Each child has an individualized learning plan that is tailored to their needs. This attention to detail at the student level has given us this opportunity to receive 17 Standard of Excellence awards for 2011.

Students were tested in Reading at grade levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and HS. They were tested in Mathematics at grade levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and HS. They were tested in science at grade levels 4, 7, and HS. Each student scores in one of 5 categories: Academic Warning, Approaches Standards, Meets Standard, Exceeds Standards, and Exemplary. To reach Standard of Excellence each group tested can have all but eliminated academic warning and must have most students performing in the highest two levels. All students must be tested. Here are some very impressive statistics from the 2011 state assessment tests:

96.0% of all Lakin 215 students tested scored meet the standard or above in Mathematics
95.4% of all Lakin 215 students tested scored meet the standard or above in Reading
93.3% of all Lakin 215 students tested scored meet the standard or above in Science
95.3% of all Lakin 215 students tested scored meet the standard on all tests
29.2% of all Lakin 215 students tested scored in the Exemplary category

Our new slogan at USD 215 is “Unlocking Potential for Future Success.” This was developed by our students and selected by a group of teachers and administrators who are helping to write the next school improvement plan for USD 215. We feel that if we unlock the potential within each student our community will continue to find future success.

It takes great commitment to achieve excellence, not only from school personnel and students but from the entire community.