• Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 8,300
    Student Enrollment: 620
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.6%
    White/Caucasian: 91.8%
    Hispanic: 3.3%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 2.5%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 0.3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 16.2%
    % ELL Learners: 4.1%
    Founded: 1860
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Jamee Flaherty
  • CONTACT:
    54 Beechwood Road
    Fort Mitchell, KY 41017
    859-331-1220
    nikki.benson@beechwood.kyschools.us
Beechwood Elementary School
Fort Mitchell, KY
Beechwood Elementary works on the idea of flexible literacy groups based on student need and the assistants spend time each day in the regular classroom providing interventions and support for the students and the classroom teacher. We have seen tremendous growth since using our Title 1 funds in this manner.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Family involvement at Beechwood is very high. We utilize parent volunteers on a daily basis to help our students succeed. Every Friday in each first grade classroom, parents assist with center work during literacy instruction by offering assistance to individual students or small groups. Beechwood also utilizes numerous parent volunteers to work with our English Language students. Our EL teacher has set up a schedule for parents to come to school to work one on one with many of our EL students to ensure success. Family reading nights are scheduled during our Book Fairs at school, encouraging families to come to school to read and interact with students. In addition, our Site Base Council establishes numerous adhoc committees which involve parents when new topics are brought up for discussion. Over the past 2 years Beechwood parents served on the elementary athletics committee, the school wellness and nutrition committee as well as the homework policy committee.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Beechwood Elementary has strong community support. Our parents are very involved and take an active role in the school and school activities. Beechwood Elementary has numerous parent volunteers on a daily basis and at each grade level there is parental support for various programs. We also have a very active PTSA which initiated our first annual Tiger Trail 5K run to involve students, staff, parents and community members alike. This was promoted to get all families involved in an activity which combined fundraising with a healthy living activity for all. Prior to the event the school promoted a "design the Tiger Trail t-shirt" contest and have numerous entries to be judged. The winning entry was then featured on the Tiger Trail t-shirt that participants wore on the day of the event. Community sponsorship, as well as donations, helped round out community involvement and helped to strengthen ties even more between school and community.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
The philosophy of school improvement at Beechwood Elementary is based on the mission statement, "When excellence is a tradition, greatness will follow." We truly expect excellence from every person that walks through our doors. We frequently discuss goal setting with our students and hold them accountable. We follow the PBIS philosophy for behavior and hold students, staff and parents accountable. Our teachers are held to high expectations with professional responsibilities and are held accountable. The administration team wears many hats in our building and are held accountable in numerous capacities. Living up to our strong tradition of excellence has built confidence in our capabilities as a small independent school district. All of this can only lead to continued improvement and excellence.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
The top two goals at Beechwood are 1) To focus on the growth of every student and 2) To move our gap students to a higher achievement level of performance. After analyzing data from test scores, gathering feedback from staff and our Site Base Council and developing a plan of action, Beechwood will work to accomplish these two goals by implementing a variety of strategies. We will closely monitor each student and instruct at individual levels. We will either remediate or accelerate learning for each student to promote growth. And, to meet the needs of our gap students, we will focus on providing extra support through our student intervention team, weekly progress monitoring and differentiated instruction through our RTI plan for literacy and math.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The single most important factor for success at Beechwood Elementary is our sense of community. Since we are a K-12 district, many of our students end up as 13 year Beechwood graduates. Caring about kids is what sets us apart from other school districts. Our students are people to us, not just names on a roster. We know their families. We see them at the grocery store, at the park, taking walks and most of the community comes out to support our football team on Friday nights. Every decision made at Beechwood puts kids and their well-being first. Kids are the most important factor in the success of Beechwood Elementary.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, a Student Intervention Team was formed. The SIT team consists of the assistant principal, guidance counselor, director of special education, school psychologist, primary and intermediate special education teachers and our speech pathologist. The purpose of the team is to receive referrals from classroom teachers on those students who are most at risk with either academics or behavior. The team then meets, discusses specific concerns and decides on interventions the classroom teacher can use to assist the student and to track data for progress. The team has ongoing conversations with classroom teachers to track progress and make informed decisions on next steps to help each individual student achieve success.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title 1 funds are used to support Beechwood's Tier 2 reading program and system of interventions. Our students who are identified as at risk in the area of reading are provided with daily instruction with a research based program titled Voyager Passport. We have a reading teacher and two reading assistants that deliver the instruction to the students. These staff members also provide assistance in the classroom during our literacy block. Beechwood Elementary works on the idea of flexible literacy groups based on student need and the assistants spend time each day in the regular classroom providing interventions and support for the students and the classroom teacher. We have seen tremendous growth since using our Title 1 funds in this manner.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Because Beechwood is a small independent school district, we rely on our internal staff to be lifelong learners. We send staff members out to professional development sessions based on need, content area taught, and sessions designed to promote student growth. Beechwood does not have a large internal support staff (Superintendent, Principal, Assistant Principal and Guidance Counselor) Because of this, we rely on our teachers to gain knowledge through PD sessions, then share out with our staff for continued growth. We have focused our efforts this year on content specific sessions through the ISLN and send teachers as representatives. We also have a strong relationship with the Northern Kentucky Cooperative Center and are able to delve into the PD sessions offered there. Our faculty meeting for the month of November was strictly devoted to teachers who have attended various PD sessions and gave them the opportunity to share ideas with all staff at Beechwood Elementary.

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is used at Beechwood Elementary to drive instruction and to make instructional changes on a daily basis. Each month the administration holds grade level meetings where teachers discuss data and how it can be used to move all students forward. Data from various sources (MAP, AIMS web, Compass) is analyzed by teachers and administration to make informed decisions on the instructional level of each individual student. Intentional discussions are held on what can be done to move each child forward and grow each child in all content areas. The students at Beechwood Elementary are assigned a literacy group based on data and classroom performance and these groups are flexible based on student need and growth. Each grade level has 30 minutes built into their daily schedule for RTI instruction to further meet the needs of all students based on data and performance.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The culture at Beechwood Elementary has evolved and changed dramatically over the last 5 years. We have had an influx of English Language Learners enroll at Beechwood with varied cultures and nationalities. To assist with this change and to make all students and families feel welcome, we hired an EL teacher beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. This teacher is fluent in Spanish and has worked diligently to help the students and families in the community become more involved in school activities.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 8,300
    Student Enrollment: 620
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.6%
    White/Caucasian: 91.8%
    Hispanic: 3.3%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 2.5%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 0.3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 16.2%
    % ELL Learners: 4.1%
    Founded: 1860
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Jamee Flaherty
  • CONTACT:
    54 Beechwood Road
    Fort Mitchell, KY 41017
    859-331-1220
    nikki.benson@beechwood.kyschools.us