• Category 1

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: pre k - 4
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 80,914
    Student Enrollment: 361
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 16%
    White/Caucasian: 64%
    Hispanic: 14%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.5%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 4%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 30%
    % ELL Learners: 5%
    Founded: 1906
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Anne Riley
  • CONTACT:
    1501 Figuers Dr.
    Franklin , TN 37064
    615-794-1187
    rileyann@fssd.org
Franklin Elementary School
Franklin , TN
You can feel the warm welcome as you walk into the door.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Family Learning Night has been a valuable tool to increase family and community involvement. Our reading and math coaches collaborate with administration, faculty, and staff to plan the event. Families and community members are invited to school to enjoy an evening of fun learning with a math focus.

Our annual Book Fair and a bake sale are incorporated into the festivities. Family photos are taken at our decorated photo booth and food (hot dogs, chips, and lemonade) is enjoyed by all. The children and many faculty and staff dress in costume to reflect the year's theme.

Grade Level, Related Arts, and Special Education teams plan math activities for our students and their families to enjoy together. The activities are designed to strengthen math skills and family engagement. Parents are given math games and activities to take home and play with their children. Family Learning Night is a fun evening that engages our community and forms lasting, positive bonds with our families.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Fine Arts Night has been hugely successful for our school. Our music and art program combined forces to create a Fine Arts Night for our school and community. It is the most attended nighttime event we have during the school year. Fine Arts Night incorporates a musical performance by each grade level and student artwork is displayed throughout the building. There are art activities for families to create together and refreshments that incorporate musical and artistic designs. The event allows our students to showcase their artwork and perform musically for their families and community. Families and community members are invited to our school for the event.

Arts education affects the way we see others and ourselves. Our fine arts education program at Franklin Elementary strengthens ties to our community and gives our students a deeper understanding of diversity and culture and helps them to see themselves as vital assets to our community.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Lasting change can best be accomplished when stakeholders have buy-in and an understanding of why the change is important. John Kotter's, "Eight Step Process for Leading Change" is a good resource. Kotter suggests the following steps for implementing successful change: 1) create a sense of urgency, 2) form a powerful coalition,
3) create a vision for change, 4) communicate the vision, 5) remove obstacles, 6) create short term wins, 7) build on change, and 8) anchor the changes in corporate culture.

Recently, our District implemented Imagine Learning (a reading program which provides differentiated instruction based on the needs of individual students). It is recommended that students use the program for 45-60 minutes per week. After teachers understood the research supporting the program, they implemented the program with fidelity, and our students benefited. Once student gains were noted, teachers had buy-in and worked with admin and our tech department to overcome obstacles.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
First, during the 2019-2020 school year, Franklin Elementary students will show an increase in the percent proficient or advanced from 74% to 79% of all third and fourth graders on the spring STAR Benchmark.

Second, during the 2019-2020 school year, Franklin Elementary students will show an increase in the percent proficient from 77% to 82% of all third and fourth graders on the iReady spring benchmark.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The single most important factor in our success as a school is teacher knowledge regarding student performance. Teachers and coaches collaborate to identify students who are not meeting goals and brainstorm ways to motivate students to achieve their goals. This collaboration ensures all students continue to grow.

Reading and math coaches use benchmark data to determine RTI grouping placements. Coaches lead three benchmark data meetings during the school year in addition to bimonthly PLC meetings. At these meetings student reading and math data is discussed and monitored. Data is used to determine what further diagnostic testing is needed and what skill deficits the student should work on during the RTI block. Decisions concerning changes in RTI occur at bimonthly reading and math PLC meetings or ABST (Academic Behavior Support Team) meetings that take place every 4.5 weeks. Coaches and teachers promote student achievement by tracking their benchmarks and progress monitoring data.
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 had the greatest positive effect on student achievement at Franklin Elementary would be our tutoring programs. We have reading tutoring in the afternoons and math tutoring in the mornings. Second, third, and fourth graders participate in reading tutoring. Math tutoring is available for third and fourth grade students. The reading tutoring program is provided through a partnership with United Way. Students who scored in the 10th percentile to 25th percentile on benchmark assessments are chosen for tutoring. The reading and math tutoring programs are designed to close achievement gaps. Both programs use research-based materials and activities to increase student achievement.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
ESEA monies are used primarily to fund a math coach to support improvement efforts in math. Over the past eight years, our math coach has worked with teachers and students in kindergarten through fourth grade to increase math proficiency scores. The coach models instruction, conducts non-evaluative observations, provides feedback, co-teaches, works with students, and participates in grade level PLCs. She models instruction or observes teachers in classrooms on a daily basis. She leads a Morning Math Club for third and fourth graders.

After administering and analyzing benchmark assessments, the coach uses data to determine Tier 2A, Tier 2B, and Tier 3 intervention groups. The coach collaborates with teachers to plan targeted interventions, and she provides daily Tier 3 instruction to kindergarten through fourth grade.

ESEA funds have allowed our school to have a full time math coach. Our math proficiency levels have increased significantly since the position was added.


Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
The FSSD Reading Academy has been highly beneficial to classroom reading teachers, special education and ELL teachers. Teachers are learning new strategies, building on their current knowledge, and meeting with other reading teachers in the district to discuss and share.

The Middle Tennessee Writing Project (MTWP) and their work with the National Writing Project's College, Career, and Community Writer's Program (C3WP) had the greatest positive effect on student achievement including closing gaps in fourth grade ELA students. Students' writing and reading skills showed significant growth after implementation of the strategies and resources learned from the Summer Institute and the Advanced Institute provided by MTWP.

Teachers have the opportunity to choose a book of interest to read over the summer (with a team or individually). They have time to reflect and apply the learning to their own classrooms. Teams then inspire each other by presenting the impact of their separate studies.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Reading and math coaches use benchmark data to determine Response to Intervention (RTI) grouping placements. Coaches lead three benchmark data meetings throughout the school year in addition to bimonthly PLC meetings with each grade level. At these meetings, all student reading and math data is discussed and monitored. This data is used to determine what further diagnostic testing is needed and what skill deficits the student should work on during the RTI block.

Student progress is monitored and graphed twice a month. This progress monitoring data is used to determine if and when changes to reading interventions should be made. Decisions concerning changes in RTI occur at bimonthly reading and math PLC meetings or ABST (Academic Behavior Support Team) meetings that take place every 4.5 weeks. Coaches and teachers promote student achievement by tracking student benchmark and progress monitoring data. Data folders are used by some grade levels which allow students to graph progress.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
You can feel the warm welcome as you walk into the door. Our positive school culture is a feeling that is generated by the students, faculty, staff, and families that call this building “home.”

Everyone at FES is important. Our students are engaged with high expectations that challenge them to reach their full potential. They are encouraged by teachers that see each student as an individual with specific learning needs, challenges, and gifts. Our administrators seek the best for teachers and students. We are a family here at FES. We encourage, challenge, and build one another up. The success of each student is a collaborative effort by all members of our learning community. Success for all means each and every one…whatever it takes!

Our PLCs are filled with highly effective, high functioning, collaborative teams that work to ensure the best for all. Implementing and refining these teams has been one of the most positive steps we have taken to improve our school culture.



Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2019

  • Grades: pre k - 4
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 80,914
    Student Enrollment: 361
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 16%
    White/Caucasian: 64%
    Hispanic: 14%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.5%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 0.5%
    Other: 4%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 30%
    % ELL Learners: 5%
    Founded: 1906
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Anne Riley
  • CONTACT:
    1501 Figuers Dr.
    Franklin , TN 37064
    615-794-1187
    rileyann@fssd.org