• Category 1

    Selected in 2017

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,000
    Student Enrollment: 223
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 96%
    Hispanic: 2%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 1%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 60%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1957
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Pamela Slocum
  • CONTACT:
    P.O. Box 308
    Slanesville, WV 25444
    304-496-7069
    pslocum@k12.wv.us
Slanesville Elementary School
Slanesville, WV
Approach every day as a TEAM. Slanesville Elementary is truly a team.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
We have a strong PTO. Our PTO provides the students and staff with the materials and funds to have programs that are not allocated from county, state, or federal dollars. The PTO meets every other month and has activities that double as fundraisers 4-5 times per year. Examples of these activities are a color run and a school dance.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Slanesville School partnered with the community to allow access to the school in both its facilities and property. The School has a 10+ acre field connected to the school grounds where a community organization (Ruritan Club) has partnered to develop a 1/2 mile walking/fitness trail and nature trail. A local Eagle scout labeled the trees for his culminating project. The county Parks and Rec organization built soccer and baseball fields where youth leagues hold practices. The school paved and fenced a large basketball court. The West Virginia Extension office fenced an area and built raised garden beds for each classroom to plant and harvest. Future plans for the garden area include fruit trees. The community uses the playground area after hours. Local youth league basketball teams have requested to use the multipurpose room, which has a hoop, for practices.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Our school fully embraces the responsibility of the classroom teacher to have all students in the class increase growth by one school year. Every teacher on staff understands the importance of their job and knows that the goal is to send each child to the next grade level, on grade level or as close to grade level as possible. Classroom teachers differentiate, Title I provides interventions, and the processes we use effectively identify special education students. Intensive and implicit instruction is given in all areas of instruction to ensure student mastery of skills. Student and teacher engagement is vital. We do not waste a minute. We work hard everyday.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Maintain academic achievement and to increase student attendance to greater than 95%
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Approach every day as a TEAM. Slanesville Elementary is truly a team. This team is made up of staff, students, parents, community, local businesses, churches and civic organizations. The school has a positive culture and attitude that we are the best we can be and we are all in this together. We help and support one another daily. Every single person in this building is as important as the other. This belief of being a team and being the best we can be is prevalent throughout the building. It cost nothing and is not a scripted or scientific based program but it works for this special school and has been maintained throughout the years by core/consistent staff that celebrate all stakeholders and expect their school to be the best.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Weekly teacher planning and PLC meetings have increased teachers knowledge of the standards, has allowed opportunities for teachers to analyze data, and gives time for professional dialog that is vital to success.
Teachers were given the opportunity to unpack and dissect the standards. Then the teachers developed a pacing guide.
Data is taken apart, analyzed for common skill errors, retaught, grouped and dissected again on a benchmark schedule for students that are achieving success and on a progress monitoring schedule (more frequently) for students that are having difficulty reaching academic success.
Conversations are vital to the teaching profession and are highly effective when the staff support and trust one another to offer and accept feedback and assistance. Teachers discuss items from teaching strategies, to rigor in the classroom, to the urgency of teaching and learning at a pace that will find success in the time that each individual teacher has a group of students.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title I funds provide us with a Reading Specialist as well as a two interventionists. The Reading Specialists as well as the interventionist use data to drive intervention groups and the instruction that occurs during the intervention time. Data that is used it from the STAR Renaissance program and Title I funds are used to purchase the program. Reflex Math and Moby Max are also skill building programs that are also purchased with Title I funds. Parent Involvement activities are also funded by Title I. Students receive books to take home from every event and parents receive tips on how to help their child at home.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Kagan Instructional Strategies. It is all about engagement. Teachers are taught grouping strategies to maximize engagement in any classroom. Students use various strategies to increase engagement from one student at a time to 25%, 50%, or even 100% engagement. Students learn to work in groups of four. Teachers learn to develop lessons questioning in a manner that can be answered using a variety or Kagan strategies which have 2 or more of the group answering all at the same time. There is a student coaching component to the program as well as team and class building activities.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is analyzed on the benchmark and progress monitoring data collection timelines. Teachers, support staff, and administrator utilize the data to drive grouping and to plan for instruction. Data is also tracked and tied to the schools, administrator, and teachers classroom goals. Students also develop goals according to their data and students track this data independently or with teacher support. Data talks occur between teachers and students often and administrators and students after the middle of the year benchmark.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Slanesville Elementary School's culture is based upon relationships. Students, staff, parents and community truly work together as a team. The culture of the school is based upon respect and caring for each other as well as giving a helping hand to one another, or encouraging growth, or expressing high expectations for all. We recognize achievement as well as growth and character. We also recognize acceleration in physical fitness, Music, and Art.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2017

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,000
    Student Enrollment: 223
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 96%
    Hispanic: 2%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 1%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 60%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1957
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Pamela Slocum
  • CONTACT:
    P.O. Box 308
    Slanesville, WV 25444
    304-496-7069
    pslocum@k12.wv.us