Darce Driskel's blog

Stanfield Schools Number One Goal: Improving Literacy

At its October 8, 2008 Regular Board Meeting, the Stanfield Board of Directors adopted district performance goals for 2008-11. Prior to adoption, school site councils reviewed a recommendation from the district administrative team on possible goals.  Five proposed goals were then presented to the Board  at a September work session.  The Board identified reading and writing as the district's number one goal. The goal is commonly referred to as the district's literacy goal and reads as follows:

Goal #1 The number of students meeting or exceeding Oregon State Benchmark Standards in reading and writing will increase annually by an average of 5% as measured by the Oregon State Assessments.

Before the goal was officially adopted, teachers and administrators reviewed test data in September and determined a strategy to improve student achievement in reading and writing was needed.  The result of  staff discussions provided the impetus for a literacy goal. 

My discussions with the principals and teachers about the literacy goal and the other academic goals of science,  math, and increasing the number of students pursuing post-secondary education have been personally invigorating. Principals and teachers are welcoming the challenge of improving student achievement and there is definitely an energy borne from a vision of increasing opportunities for student success. 

In 2007, the district received a School Improvement Fund grant to hire a literacy coach. This position provides support to teachers on the best practices of  reading instruction. The elementary school is the initial beneficiary of the literacy coach this semester. The literacy coach program will expand to the secondary level this school year. It is important the program's implementation is solidly grounded at the elementary school before complete impementation at the secondary level.

In September, teachers received training to identify the Oregon "Power Standards" for reading and writing. The "Power Standards" are the most significant Standards students must learn to graduate from high school. The Standards are in grades k-12. By targeting more instructional time to the "Power Standards", teachers can be more prescriptive in meeting each student's learning needs. Instructional time will also not be "spread thin" by  teaching non-essential Standards at each grade level. 

On Thursday, October 9, teachers also received  training in the literacy program "Achieve 3000". It is a web based program for students second grade through grade 12. Kid Biz is the program for elementary students and Teen Biz is for middle school and high school students. The program is in place in Echo, Umatilla, Milton-Freewater, Pilot Rock, and Kennewick  to name a few districts in our area. It has a proven track record and it's success is well documented. What makes the program especially effective is a student's  ability to use it anywhere the internet is available. Parents can also utilize the program and as we know, parental involvement is extremely important in guaranteeing a child's learning experience is positive. 

As the year develops we will continue to identify and apply the best means to meet the the district's literacy goal and the other four goals as well. As always, I encourage your questions and comments and look forward to hearing  from you.

A Welcome Message

It is my pleasure and good fortune to be appointed as your new school superintendent. My excitement is easy to express because of the obvious positive leadership at the Board, district office, and building levels. The outstanding support of the greater Stanfield community is evident in the quality of its facilities; the commitment of its instructional and support staff; and the wise utilization of resources necessary to afford the best opportunities for children.  As we enter the 2008-09 school year, we will continue immediate and long term strategies that will build on existing, quality programs. Additionally, new strategies will be developed to improve our practices to maximize student learning and ensure student success. There is a timeless saying that has stuck with me: “A community is known by the schools it keeps.”  We want exceptional schools that reflect our community, so I encourage and welcome your positive input to help ensure our schools provide each child’s learning experience is successful.  I look forward to hearing from you.

- Darce Driskel