Oak Grove becomes second R-I school recognized with Blue Ribbon

A second Poplar Bluff R-I school has received the recognition of a Blue Ribbon school by the U.S. Department of Education. This year, Oak Grove Elementary school is one of eight Missouri schools to receive the honor. Last year, Lake Road Elementary was named a Blue Ribbon school.

“We recognize and honor your important work preparing students for successful careers and meaningful lives,” said Betsy DeVos, U.S. Secretary of Education, in a video message to the honorees. “As a National Blue Ribbon School, your students’ success demonstrates what’s possible when committed educators partner with parents and community leaders to create vibrant, challenging cultures of learning.”

The award is based off of student test scores as a whole, subgroup of student test scores and high school graduation rates for the students. For both graduation rates and test performance as a whole, the school needs to rank within the top 15% within the state, and for the subgroup of students test scores, they need to be in the top 40% within the state.

During the 2017-18 school year, 75.7% of Oak Grove students scored proficient or advanced in English language arts and 84.5% in mathematics on the Missouri Assessment Program test. The year before, the elementary school earned 86.2% in English and 72.4% in math. The scores for the 2018-19 school year will be released later this month by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, but school officials say the measurable objectives at Oak Grove have been met.

When it comes to subgroup testing, Oak Grove was nationally recognized in 2018 for closing the achievement gap among student groups by an average rate of 24%, earning the National Title 1 or ESEA award.

“They have worked so hard to build teacher teams that are honest with one another and 100 percent committed to improvement,” said Patty Robertson, R-I assistant superintendent of curriculum. “The conversations were not always easy and weekly meetings were a major commitment of time. Classroom teachers, reading teachers, special education teachers and classroom aides all took part in the effort.”

Oak Grove Principal Jenifer Richardson said part of what contributed to the growth at the school has been programs such as Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) and Capturing Kids Hearts (CKH), both of which are focused on creating a positive and supportive learning environment.

“You have to have the right culture to have a good learning environment,” she said.

The two focus on building relationships between students, and between students and staff through projects such as monthly celebrations, door greetings, affirmations, and positive referrals. The teachers and students make a social contract in the first few weeks of school so that everyone knows what is appropriate behavior and what isn’t.

“These initiatives have helped to develop positive relationships among staff and students,” Richardson said. “We provide ongoing training to staff to ensure the components of PBIS and CKH behaviors being implemented and contributing to the growth of students within a positive school culture. Teachers receive classroom support for behavior management, individual student support through intervention, and small group social groups.”

Since implementing positive behavioral interventions and supports, discipline referrals at Oak Grove have decreased by 75%, dropping from 538 five years ago to 132, according to school reports.

That being said, Richardson said the staff was excited to hear about the award, but they also soon started thinking about areas to improve and what they could be doing better to address student needs. Richardson said that’s still something they’re working on, but in the moment, the school held a live watch party for the whole school community to see the announcement.

“We held a live watch party with our students and were able to watch the announcement live in the gym with all staff and students,” she said. “We were all able to celebrate together when the announcement was made. There was tons of excitement, tears of joy and a lot of jumping up and down with excitement. It was a great moment that we will always remember.”

The Blue Ribbon criteria goes beyond the elementary school with one of them being specifically high school graduation rates. The graduation rate for Poplar Bluff High School currently stands at an all-time high of 94.2 percent, and has increased annually over the past decade, according to the DESE core data collection system. According to documents provided at the last R-I board meeting, the goal is to reach a graduation rate of 95%. One of the ways this is being focused on is by offering credit recovery before and after school as well as looking at changing summer school procedures.

According to DESE data, the statewide graduation rate for the 2017-18 school year was 89.23%, which is slightly up from the 88.95% the year before. The inclusion of this criteria makes it a districtwide effort to receive Blue Ribbon distinctions.

“We’ve been nationally recognized two years in a row for having one of the best schools in the country, which is just an indication of the high-quality work that is taking place throughout the district,” stated Dr. Scott Dill, Poplar Bluff superintendent. “There is no secret formula to this. We simply immerse ourselves in research-based best practices with an emphasis on collaborative professional learning throughout our school community. We understand we are better when we work together.”