Throughout the 2024-25 school year, educators and leaders at Griggs County Central worked with liaisons at the South East Education Cooperative (SEEC) to support targeted school improvement. Educators worked closely to identify aspects of their system that could be enhanced and developed plans that allowed them to make adjustments to their practices, measure the changes, and scale up their successes.
In one year, students at Griggs County Central increased the number of learners who reached proficiency and increased the percentage of grade 3-8 learners who grew in their ELA skills by 50%.
“Our teachers have worked extremely hard over the last several years to strengthen both reading and math instruction. We use our DIBELS data to intentionally shape WIN time and ensure students receive the targeted support they need. Our UFLI phonics sequence in K–2 has been especially effective and as our reading scores have improved, we have been able to devote more attention to refining our math practices as well,” said PK-12 Principal of Academics, Lauren Ressler.
And refining math practices they did! Griggs County Central increased their math scores by 10% and increased the percentage of grade 3-8 learners who grew by 25%. All that success and academic growth also translated into increased student engagement across their entire system. Learners self-identified as being more committed to school. A year ago, 75% of students at Griggs County Central identified themselves as committed/compliant compared to over 90% this past year.
So, you might be wondering what did educators do to increase their students’ proficiency, grow their learners, and get them engaged in their learning? Here are some of the key steps Ressler says they have taken:
• Prioritizing standards and improving pacing: With support from our high school math teacher, we identified priority standards, clarified prerequisite skills, and revised our pacing for the Into Math curriculum. Teachers now focus instructional time on the standards that matter most.
• Implementing SpringMath with fidelity: SpringMath is now in place across K–8. We are fortunate to have a dedicated Title teacher who co-teaches every K–5 session, manages data entry, and maintains our systems.
• Strengthening K–2 hands-on learning: K–2 classrooms use math manipulative toolkits.
• Embedding effective instructional strategies: We have adopted several Features of Effective Math Instruction strategies, specifically the use of whiteboard work and math talk partners in grades 5–8.
“Ultimately, the credit goes to our teachers. They consistently put students’ needs first, stay focused on what matters most, and are committed to truly knowing whether students understand—never settling for 'I taught it, so they should know it.' We still have work to do, but it’s encouraging that our scores are showing that our work is making gains,” said Ressler.
And keep working they will. Griggs County Central educators, like so many in our SEEC region, are continuously improving their craft to support the student experience. They are relentless in their pursuit of supporting the needs of each and every learner in their building. Congratulations to all the learners, educators, and staff in the Griggs County Central School District. We can’t wait to see what you will continue to do this year!
Written by Danette Brown, SEEC Professional Learning Specialist