• Category 2

    Selected in 2015

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 735
    Student Enrollment: 123
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 94%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 5%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 22%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1884
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Dr. Joel Price
  • CONTACT:
    1114 Court Street
    Faulkton, SD 57438
    605-598-6266 ext. 206
    joel.price@k12.sd.us
Faulkton Elementary School
Faulkton, SD
A cohort of our staff recently completed their Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Further training in this area has broadened our perspectives on student learning and provide opportunities to network with other educators from throughout the region who are also strong practitioners in their craft.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
The elementary teachers created a TIGER notebook that is sent home and returned every day. This notebook contains information that parents and students use on a daily basis.
Our school provides a breakfast program so students who travel long distances in the morning have a chance to eat before school. Researchers have studied the relationship between breakfast and academic performance. It has been noted that breakfast has a positive impact on student achievement. There is evidence that a breakfast programs have positive effects on a student’s ability to learn and function in school. More recent research has found a positive correlation between school breakfast program participation and academic grades, specifically in the subject of mathematics, along with a decrease in absences and lateness.
Our high school FCCLA students also provide an Angel Tree during the holiday season to help under privileged families in our community to receive gifts purchased by people in our community.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
We begin each school year with an open house to welcome parents and students into a new school year. The night of Open House, parents and students visit classrooms where their new teacher welcomes them to school. The first meeting between parents and teachers is very positive and a connection is made between home and school. Parents see our school as welcoming, non-threatening, and a friendly place to visit. Communication with parents and the community continue throughout the school year with a monthly newsletter from the teachers, principals, and superintendent and a principal’s news column in our local newspaper.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
We believe it is important for teachers to educate themselves on the latest teaching practices. A cohort of our staff recently completed their Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Further training in this area has broadened our perspectives on student learning and provide opportunities to network with other educators from throughout the region who are also strong practitioners in their craft. Our staff attends conferences and training to keep informed of the latest research and best practices in teaching, assessment, differentiated instructional practices, and learning theory. Our school is designed to perform as a a professional learning community that strives to meet the needs of all our students through collegial discussion, proactive research, and data-driven decision making at the school and classroom level.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our goal is to continue to improve our reading across the curriculum. We have some great programs in place that will help us achieve this goal. We have also collected the data from our Smarter Balanced scores and have found areas of weaknesses to improve on in our math curriculum. In math the greatest need is in the area of order of operations. We will continue to work on these standards and progress monitor our students throughout the school year.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Our staff is always looking for ways to showcase our students’ successes. We promote learning by displaying student accomplishments around the school and praising students for their achievements. Teachers find ways to connect with their students and help build self-esteem by reinforcing kids’ special talents and interests.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Title Reading and Title Math assistance has been the most effective program for closing the achievement gap in our elementary classrooms. Students that do not qualify for special education services are able to receive assistance through this program. The Title 1 teacher helps in the classrooms and also pulls students for individual or small group assistance. In addition, summer school is made available through the Title 1 program. The kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms have also incorporated 30 minutes of reading interventions three times a week to work with students in small group settings based on their reading ability.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title 1 funds are best used to hire a highly qualified Title 1 teacher who provides support in the classrooms and extra pull out sessions for students who need support. Title 1 funds are also used to hire qualified teachers to instruct title students during the summer months to keep them on track for the upcoming school year.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Our teachers use a variety of resources throughout the day to teacher students. They are very good at utilizing technology to enhance their lessons and engage students in learning. Every teacher in the elementary building has a laptop connected to a Promethean Board. The classrooms are allocated roving computer labs that provide for a 1-1 environment on an as-needed basis. Students use the interactive nature of the technology of ELA and math assignments. Other hand-held devices are used to indicate the classes ability during the lesson as a "check with me" on-the-go assessment. Teacher in-services are held several times throughout the school year to help teachers stay up to date on the latest technology and education practices. Every year teachers are allowed to attend the Technology in Education (TIE) Conference and we have been fortunate to have teachers present their own work at the Conference for the past five years.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is collected from the DIBELS Next Assessment and the STAR Assessment throughout the school year to measure student performance. Based on these results, teachers are able to modify their teaching practice and/or curriculum. Teachers look for areas of strengths and weaknesses with students and are able to place students into specific groups to receive interventions based on their needs. Using the data from these assessments also helps classroom teachers determine which students needs to be referred for Title 1 assistance.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The culture of our elementary school would be described as inclusive, supportive and friendly. The teachers have a terrific rapport with each other and do what they can to assist each other in meeting all students’ needs. The teachers create a great home-school connection by keeping up with classroom webpages, blogs, sending emails, and quarterly newsletters. The elementary staff is always seeking for new ideas to make learning a positive and fun learning environment for students.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2015

  • Grades: k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 735
    Student Enrollment: 123
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 94%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 5%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 22%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1884
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Dr. Joel Price
  • CONTACT:
    1114 Court Street
    Faulkton, SD 57438
    605-598-6266 ext. 206
    joel.price@k12.sd.us