In 2003, Ignacio Intermediate School’s state report card said the school was in “significant decline” — sliding from an “average” rating in 2002 to a “low” rating in 2003. This summer, the school learned that student achievement had risen on all three state assessments, more than making up for its previous declines.

Ignacio Intermediate teachers meet regularly to review student progress and identify strategies for improving achievement.

Principal Kathryn Pokorney credits those changes to the hard work of her staff, dedicated parent volunteers, and a team of McREL consultants led by Nilda Garcia Simms, who were supported through funds from McREL’s regional educational laboratory contract and McREL’s subcontract with the Region IX Comprehensive Center in New Mexico Highlands University.

“With McREL’s assistance our teachers have become really data-driven,” said Pokorney. “We now make key decisions on how we teach kids based on data.” Teachers now use assessment data to individualize classroom instruction by placing students in small groups based on their level of learning, allowing accelerated learners to tackle more challenging work while providing struggling learners with needed extra attention.

Teachers also meet weekly to discuss student needs and share strategies that work in their classrooms. “Our study team time has taken on a life of its own,” said Pokorney. “Teachers love the time. It makes them feel validated as educators and respected as professionals.”

With McREL’s help, the school has also developed genuine parent involvement strategies, providing opportunities for parents to guide school decisions through its accountability committee as well as regular parent meetings during which they learn strategies for supporting their children’s learning at home.

Anne Kernan, whose grandson attends the school, says its environment is noticeably more orderly — as evidenced by the fact that, according to the state report card, safety and discipline referrals were nearly cut in half from 2002 to 2003. “The kids are a lot happier,” said Kernan. “I think [the school is] really on the right track.”

Simms agrees. She calls Ignacio Intermediate “a model for school improvement.” Over the past year and a half, it has focused on many of the key school factors McREL research links to gains in student achievement, including creating safe and orderly learning environments, encouraging genuine parent involvement, and providing time for staff to work together to solve problems.

“Just as economists consider employment data lagging indicators of economic health, student achievement is really a lagging indicator of school success,” noted Simms. “[Pokorney] and her staff have been addressing all the right issues — making changes that we know from research are essentially leading indicators for school success. So it’s not surprising their student achievement is rising. More importantly, because they’re putting all the right things in place, their student achievement should keep on rising.