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Cleveland School recognized as a Celebration School
Published 11:12am Wednesday, January 30, 2013Cleveland Elementary School in Fergus Falls was named a Celebration School by the Minnesota Department of Education. This distinction reflects the gains Cleveland has made and the efforts directed toward improving outcomes for students.
Principal Scott Colbeck announced the award at Monday’s school board meeting, but says other district elementary schools deserve recognition for their achievements.
“Although the Celebration School Award recognizes Cleveland School, this achievement is certainly a result of the skills, efforts, and dedication of all elementary staff,” Colbeck said. “When our older elementary students perform well, it’s a result of the effective instruction of all elementary staff at all three schools.”
Colbeck said K-2 students in Minnesota don’t participate in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, a tool used to measure student proficiency and growth, so McKinley and Adams were not eligible for the award.
The Celebration award identifies Title I schools in Minnesota that have demonstrated excellence on new Multiple Measurement Rating (MMR) recognizing student proficiency, student growth, and closure of the achievement gap, and exhibited success with initiatives that have led to positive student outcomes.
Programs at Cleveland such as Response to Intervention (RTI) and Title I leads to students overall success.
“As soon as we see kids might be slipping we want to pull them in, target problem areas and work through them,” said Jean Larame, a long-time teacher that now oversees the RTI program at Cleveland.
“Title I provides one-on-one focus in reading and math,” said Faith Tysver, Title I Paraprofessional.
“We are re-teaching and tutoring what the teacher has already given the student,” said Title I Paraprofessional Laurie Skogen. “It’s great to see how happy the kids are when they understand something, and we get a lot of satisfaction when we see progress.”
Cleveland School was first identified as a Celebration Eligible School that placed it in the top 60th to 86th percentile of top performing schools based on its MMR, and after an application process was among the 10 percent of Title I schools to be selected for the Celebration School Award.
Minnesota Education Commissioner Dr. Brenda Cassellius said selecting Cleveland School, “is a direct reflection of the gains your school has made and the tireless efforts your staff have directed toward improving outcomes for your students. It takes focus and commitment to put systems and strategies in place that yield the kind of results your school has shown. Your entire team deserves sincere congratulations for this outstanding achievement.”
