• Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: k - 4
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 67,925
    Student Enrollment: 538
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 21.6%
    White/Caucasian: 40.8%
    Hispanic: 33.6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.4%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 2.7%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:24
    % Reduced Lunch: 80.9%
    % ELL Learners: 21.4%
    Founded: 1962
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Matt Rhoda
  • CONTACT:
    2401 Beck Lane
    Lafayette, IN 47909
    765-588-2301
    mrhoda@lsc.k12.in.us
Miami Elementary
Lafayette, IN
As Miami’s staff became increasingly knowledgeable about educating high poverty students, encompassing the social, behavioral, and physical needs of students in the educational process emerged as a key to student success.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
In 2011, Miami began offering Family Data Nights that featured student performances and provided venues for parents to learn about student achievement data and performance goals with students while acquiring ideas and materials to support student achievement. In 2012, Miami began offering an end of the year Showcase of Learning. Parents were invited to an evening in which classrooms performed skits, songs or displayed projects. Parents also received end of the year math, reading and writing data. In addition to these two events, parents meet with teachers twice a year at fall and spring parent teacher conferences.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Partnerships with community groups (United Way, Community Reformed Church, Purdue Mentors and the Lafayette/West Lafayette Rotarians) yielded volunteer mentors, reading buddies, recess monitors, and food backpack programs. Having additional positive adult role models working directly with our students further supported our school-wide goals in increasing academic achievement and enhancing behavior supports.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
School Improvement efforts are made possible when a school has a central mission engaging in conversations as to why we as educators choose to work with an underserved population. Our mission at Miami is to nurture, inspire and empower children. This is accomplished with an environment of collegiality, trust and caring amongst all stakeholders.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
1-90% or higher passing both the language arts and math ISTEP + state-wide assessment.
2-90% or higher passing the third grade I-READ state-wide reading assessment.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
At Miami there was not a single most important factor. Rather, a combination of at least three factors was responsible for our success. First, all staff and volunteers bought in to the mission of nurturing, inspiring and empowering our students rather than making excuses for poor achievement and behavior. Second, continous data monitoring enabled staff to provide academic and behavior supports that matched student needs. Finally, community support in the form of additional positive role models and food provisions for underserved students set the stage for students to live the "Miami Way" by being safe, respectful and responsibile.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
The initiative that has the greatest positive effect on student achievement at Miami is our use of a Response to Intervention Model (RTI) that focuses on data-driven, systematic, and explicit instruction, researched-based programs, professional development, positive behavior supports, and student, parent and community involvement.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
A Title I Lead teacher provides coaching, small group instruction, and professional development while also facilitating data meetings.Ten instructional assistants are employeed to provide Tier I supports as well as Tiers II and III differentiated small reading and math intervention groups. Title I funds are used to provide researched-based programs, supplies, and equipment to support Tier I, II, and III instruction. Funds are also used to provide materials for home-school supports through data nights and showcase of learning parent nights.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Enthusiastic support from all staff members and professional development were critical in Miami’s reform efforts. Intensive training and collaboration focused on progress monitoring, data-driven instruction, components of reading instruction (Reading First), differentiated instruction, ELL strategies, and positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS). As Miami’s staff became increasingly knowledgeable about educating high poverty students, encompassing the social, behavioral, and physical needs of students in the educational process emerged as a key to student success.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
While achievement and behavioral data are under continuous review, data is used to inform decision making in three primary ways. First, the principal and/or Title I Lead teacher conducts individual data meetings with each classroom teacher every six weeks to review a profile of progress monitoring data for each student. Second, grade level learning log meetings take place every three weeks in grades 1-4 to examine student performance on standards-based indicators that reflect content mastery. Based on the results of these meetings, changes to Tier I instructional delivery are implemented. Finally, every six weeks the Title I Lead teacher and principal meet with K-4 grade level teams to examine progress monitoring reading data which determines Tier II and enrichment reading instructional groups. Students not responding to Tiers I and II instructional supports are referred to school-based problem solving teams for creation of individualized action plans.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Seven years ago, Miami was struggling to educate a student body whose collective “at-risk” profile was increasing dramatically due to demographic shifts in the community (e.g., student poverty increased 50%). Faced with historically low ISTEP scores, demoralized teachers began studying and implementing research-based best practices for high poverty schools resulting in a cultural paradigm shift from one of blame and excuses to pedagogical empowerment . Miami’s ISTEP passing rates increased during the next five years from an historic low of 50% in 2008 to an historic high of 90% in 2013. Specifically, Miami’s success is attributable to doing things the "Miami Way" which focuses on teacher leadership, student citizenship, recognition of academic achievement, and strong partnerships amongst parents, students, teachers and community members.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: k - 4
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 67,925
    Student Enrollment: 538
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 21.6%
    White/Caucasian: 40.8%
    Hispanic: 33.6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.4%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 2.7%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:24
    % Reduced Lunch: 80.9%
    % ELL Learners: 21.4%
    Founded: 1962
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Matt Rhoda
  • CONTACT:
    2401 Beck Lane
    Lafayette, IN 47909
    765-588-2301
    mrhoda@lsc.k12.in.us