Challenge

Having the people and the resources to provide true differentiation for students can seem like a daunting task, especially within a small, rural school district. The educators at Grandview R-2 Public Schools in Hillsboro, Missouri, though, understood that task and had intervention plans across its K–12 district in place. Administrators, however, found that the gaps in student achievement remained too wide. What was missing was a targeted, districtwide resource and focus with specific and measurable goals so that student growth could be achieved and measured. When the Curriculum and Instructional Team, consisting of Emily Hilligoss, Lori Howerton, and Don Jeffries, partnered with Edmentum and began using Exact Path, it became very clear the district was up to closing those gaps.

Solution

At the beginning of the 2022–23 school year, the original desired outcomes of the Exact Path partnership were outlined by the Curriculum and Instructional Team as they worked with their Customer Success Manager from Edmentum.

1. Increase student proficiency in specified core content areas as demonstrated by skill proficiency.
2. Increase percentage of at- or above-grade-level skills.
3. Demonstrate student growth in content areas between diagnostic assessments.

Even with these identifiable outcomes and overall goals of increased student growth and proficiency, the implementation rollout experienced challenges.

Mr. Jeffries explained, “We had to find a way to make this valuable. The first semester was a failure, to be very honest, because there was no buy-in from the students. But what we did the second semester was to make this a key piece of the test-prep puzzle for the EOC [end-of-course tests] in Algebra 1 and English 2.”

An accountability and incentive plan was put together that explained how each student was going to focus on the goal of being at grade level, and using the EOCs as the driver allowed the administration team to show students how they were personally going to benefit from doing their best.

The process, as Ms. Hilligoss explained, has taken time but has been worth the work: “The kids now know this is a thing, and we’re sticking to it. They are seeing their growth and building that confidence. They are seeing why we are doing things this way, and they are seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. They are seeing there is a goal to meet, and that has made all the difference.”

To maintain student motivation throughout the school year, high school students have the opportunity move into the Leadership group once they have completed all the required skills for a subject, and they are even able use the completion of their Exact Path math, reading, or language arts skills to exempt out of the in-class final at the end of the school year. Elementary and middle school students earn Eagle Bucks throughout the school year that can be used in the district’s Eagle Store to purchase prizes.

Result

During the 2022–23 school year, educators were able to implement Exact Path with fidelity, and students successfully mastered over 13,000 skills in the program! In fact, on the Missouri Assessment Program Performance Index, the rating system that calculates points based on student performance on the EOCs and provides a score between 100 and 500 to schools and districts, students at Grandview R-2 raised their English language arts performance index points from 406.3 in 2021–22 to 419.8 in 2022–23. In math, they grew even more and achieved an overall increase of 22.1 points, going from 349.2 in 2021–22 to 371.3 in 2022–23.

“Using this [Exact Path] really helped us out a ton, and I’m extremely pleased with our results,” Mr. Jeffries remarked. “I’m hoping it will continue to grow and become just a part of the Grandview culture.”

The educators at Grandview R-2 now have a plan in place to administer diagnostic assessments early and jump right into WIN, What I Need, and RTI, response to intervention, groups so that students have even more opportunities to learn and grow. They have learned how to harness the power of Exact Path with educators and students, and they are ready to continue to watch their Grandview Eagles soar.