• Category 2

    Selected in 2023

  • Grades: k - 3
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 7
    Student Enrollment: 350
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 7.8%
    White/Caucasian: 82.4%
    Hispanic: 9.8%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:17.5
    % Reduced Lunch: 43.1%
    % ELL Learners: 0.6%
    Founded: 1992
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Rachel McClaran
  • CONTACT:
    800 Meadow Road
    Valley Center, KS 67147
    316-755-7040
    rachel.mcclaran@usd262.net
Wheatland Elementary School
Valley Center, KS
Our success comes from the culture that we are all 100% invested in each other and our students.
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
Wheatland Elementary’s success is a direct result of a committed and passionate staff who prioritize the individual needs of our students. We meet students where they are and work together to develop intentional systems to ensure that all students grow academically and socially. We focus on continuous improvement through weekly team meetings to ensure that our staff understands exactly how their instruction is impacting learning and to develop solutions for barriers to success. Ultimately, our success comes from the culture that we are all 100% invested in each other and our students.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
Wheatland is a family through and through. We have learned how to be vulnerable with one another and have important conversations about student learning as well as interventions to help each student individually. We do everything as a team so that we always feel supported and can have those hard conversations. Without conversations surrounding our student’s growth and their challenges, I am not sure that we could see that positive change in our students. We have made it our goal to meet students where they are and grow them from there. They all receive the same access to the core instruction based on standards, but each student is either being enriched or getting a more intense intervention to fill those gaps. We spend most of our time looking at the whole student. Our entire building works toward the same achievement goal -- we each know what roles we play in helping students meet or exceed that goal.
Addie Tripp, Kindergarten Teacher
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
Wheatland Elementary utilizes ESEA funding to provide a licensed intervention specialist and two Title 1 aides. Our intervention specialists work directly with students as well as provide professional development to staff related to evidence based intervention practices, data literacy, and instructional strategies.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
Wheatland's professional development focuses on improving data literacy and instructional practices. We embrace a collaborative data inquiry cycle in our building goals for reading and math achievement as well as growth. We have developed and trained teachers on a matrix that looks at achievement as well as growth of students. We determine which students are on target and which students need extra support and ask “Are students making a year’s growth or more in a year’s time?”
Teachers are trained how to implement progress monitoring to determine if students are meeting goals. We use a Stoplight Data structure to determine student response to instruction. We use problem-solving conversations to support students not responding to instruction. As we grow in data-informed decision-making, we learn more about the Intentional Teaching Framework and High Impact Teaching Strategies. We continue to learn to align our instructional practices to student need.
Jamie Burbach, Learning Support
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
There is a strong sense of shared responsibility for students at Wheatland Elementary. We have spent time fostering a culture that values every adult and their opportunity to impact student success. This has been done by providing professional learning and collaborative dialogue with all staff. Having all staff trained on reinforcement of foundational skill knowledge bolsters the opportunity for students to practice skills with feedback and empowers adults with a common goal. Teams meet each week to discuss data, look at trends, and determine next steps for moving students forward. These conversations about data result in reteaching, practice, and extension opportunities during tier 2. These groups allow teams to be very specific with the skills being practiced and responsive as they adjust those groups based on data collection. We have become a building where teams look at data, design instruction, and work together to support the growth of all students.
Tabatha Gengler, K-2 Literacy
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
A foundational piece of our success at Wheatland Elementary is the involvement of our community and families. Our PTO/Site Council devotes a great deal of time to ensure that we have the resources needed for our students. From clothing and shoes for students in need to a wrapped book during the holidays to volunteers in the classroom, we are thankful to be supported by stakeholders who are invested in the success of our school and students.
We also take pride in the relationships we build with families and we value the partnership that grows through family engagement activities. We have monthly opportunities for families to engage in activities at the school and make it a priority to seek out ways to connect with our local community.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2023

  • Grades: k - 3
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 7
    Student Enrollment: 350
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 7.8%
    White/Caucasian: 82.4%
    Hispanic: 9.8%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:17.5
    % Reduced Lunch: 43.1%
    % ELL Learners: 0.6%
    Founded: 1992
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Rachel McClaran
  • CONTACT:
    800 Meadow Road
    Valley Center, KS 67147
    316-755-7040
    rachel.mcclaran@usd262.net