• Category 1

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 4
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 99,000
    Student Enrollment: 502
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 4.1%
    White/Caucasian: 83%
    Hispanic: 8.7%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.4%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 3.7%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 66.8%
    % ELL Learners: 4.8%
    Founded: 1901
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Aimee Hays
  • CONTACT:
    3200 Calhoun Rd
    Rome, GA 30161
    706-236-1827
    ahays@floydboe.net
Model Elementary School
Rome, GA
"We are Model; We are family!"
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Our motto at MES, We Are Model, We Are Family, drives every decision we make. Fostering relationships and data-based decision has served as the foundation upon which academic excellence has followed!

We experienced continued academic growth during a time when schools across the nation were experiencing declines in student performance. We saw tremendous academic gains in both ELA and math as reflected by our 2021 Content Mastery.

Over a five year period, growth of 22.7% in ELA has been seen, and math scores increased 16.9% over a period of five years.

As a Georgia School Wide Program (SWP) Title I school with a qualifying rate of 66.75% who received free or reduced lunch meals, we rank in the top 5% in the state of Georgia based on a combined ELA and Math Achievement Rate.

All students consistently benefit from our instructional framework which can be actively seen throughout the school.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
Collaboration is central to who we are. Our mission states, “We are Model. We are passionate about fostering relationships, community, character, and academic excellence.” The words of our mission are much more than a section on a page or a check within our strategic plan. Fostering positive relationships with our students and community creates the foundation of our culture at Model in addition to the robust instructional cycle that supports academic achievement as reflected by our content mastery.

Teachers plan together in mathematics to deliver rigorous core instruction through the use of the workshop model framework focused on the integration of Eureka Math, MAP Class Breakdown reports, Pathblazer, NAVVY results and student classroom performance data to determine students’ mastery of grade level standards.

Teacher collaboration in ELA focuses on the successful implementation of a strong literacy program utilizing Saxon Phonics, Reading Wonders and shared writing expectations.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
Federal funding continues to serve as the cornerstone for building teacher capacity, learning capacity, and resource capacity at Model Elementary. Building teacher capacity has occurred through creative scheduling which has been a driving force behind the academic advancements made at Model Elementary. Creative scheduling; however, requires the use of substitute teachers throughout the school year in order to provide our teaching staff with collaborative time to comprehensively analyze our needs and to create a targeted plan of action. As a result of utilizing federal funds to secure subs, Model Elementary administration, teachers and stakeholders have been able to hold Terrific Thursday vertical 100 minute extended planning opportunities once a month so grade bands are able to participate in critical conversations while identifying and targeting our school-wide needs. Our data-based decision making teams are the heartbeat of our academic advancements and fueled by federal funds.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
Teachers needed support to prioritize what mattered most in the classroom. Hope and Wade King led our staff through focusing on how to plan instructional time centered around what will have the biggest impact in classrooms. Staff was encouraged to take on room transformations as well.

We partnered with the author of Teaching in the Fast Lane and have seen increased student engagement in active classrooms across all grade levels The implementation of Teaching in the Fast Lane is seen through the use of a common lesson plan format, shared academic vocabulary, workshop model instruction with a strong emphasis on engaging the learner through learning targets, mini lessons, differentiated student work time, gathering data of student learning, and a lesson closing that recaps students’ understanding of the learning target. Teachers use data from the lesson to guide the delivery of instruction during the week. Learning groups are dynamic and change based on mastery of standard and need.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
The development of our mission statement was foundational to the cultural shift leading up to our success. Fostering positive relationships, community, and character were the cornerstones upon which we began to build a system for academic excellence. The shift was gradual and intentional due to our desire for continuous improvement.

There was a great need for systemic frameworks and collaboration across all grade levels. We needed shared K-4 expectations, common vertical planning, core support across all areas of the school, common academic language, structured tiered academic and behavioral supports, a rigorous Tier 1 coupled with a passion for the whole child, and a collaborative system of support.

The phrase, "We Are Model!" was birthed in a passionate leadership meeting, and it became our mission in action along with "We Are Family!" The culture in our building shifted into a sense of family and belonging which empowered staff to focus on all needs of our students.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Model Elementary has a Local School Governance Team with two representatives appointed from the community, two elected parent representatives, and two elected teacher representatives. Our principal serves as the secretary of the governance team and facilitates six meetings throughout the school year where school improvement drives the ongoing focus. Parent and community input collected from annual parent meetings and surveys is shared and used to address our school-wide needs such as frequent home-school communication.

We support the whole child through tiered behavior supports and our House System.

We also have a full-time nurse through our partnership with Atrium Health. Our nurse was selected as our 2022 Support Staff of the Year. She works with both students and staff to help keep everyone healthy and at school. Her on-going communication with our families provides the daily assurance that student health and well-being are essential to our successful learning environment.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 4
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 99,000
    Student Enrollment: 502
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 4.1%
    White/Caucasian: 83%
    Hispanic: 8.7%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.4%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 3.7%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 66.8%
    % ELL Learners: 4.8%
    Founded: 1901
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Aimee Hays
  • CONTACT:
    3200 Calhoun Rd
    Rome, GA 30161
    706-236-1827
    ahays@floydboe.net