Exemplary Practice Schools
West Virginia unveiled the Exemplary Practice Schools program, showcasing effective implementation of the WV Standards for Effective Schools.
About the Exemplary Practice Schools Program
The first-ever Exemplary Practice Schools program launched this Spring. The program was designed to highlight outstanding school practice in one or more area(s) of the West Virginia Standards for Effective Schools. Schools with outstanding performance on the 2023 Balanced Scorecard were invited to apply for recognition.
Eligible schools submitted an application including a narrative describing the unique and effective ways they implement a school practice to make a difference for their students. These schools represent approximately 5% of the highest achieving schools at each of the programmatic levels.
Sherman Middle School:
At Sherman Elementary School, the leadership structure is based on collaboration. The principal fosters an environment in which each staff member has shared decision-making and shared instructional leadership roles.
All grade levels and departments are represented on the School Leadership Team, with biweekly meetings to ensure continuity throughout the school. Grade-level teachers, Title I teachers, and special education teachers meet weekly for Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings. Students engage in age-appropriate leadership duties and play a vital role in the Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) where students collaborate with parents, stakeholders, community members and faculty.
Exemplary Practice Standard Alignment:
Standard 2 – Instructional Leadership: Ensuring the effectiveness of instruction leads to student achievement
- Principal ensures implementation of high-yield instructional strategies.
- Staff lead and assume responsibility for overall academic success.
- Students are engaged in age-appropriate leadership opportunities.
Additionally, Sherman Elementary School:
- Develops a sense of shared accountability among staff members through shared leadership practices, including Saturday professional learning sessions for staff with teacher-developed and teacher-led content.
- Creates a learning environment in which students are motivated by taking ownership of their education. Students as young as 4-years-old track their attendance to build a sense of accountability and self-awareness.
Mountaineer Middle School:
Mountaineer Middle School (MMS) has designed a highly effective model for tiered intervention called REAL Time. It addresses all students’ needs with flexibility that allows teachers to design unique supports at each grade level.
REAL time stands for:
R – Relate subject matter to the world
E – Empower students to take charge of the learning, think critically, and question
A – Actively engage in subject matter to increase the depth of knowledge; and
L – Learn content standards to mastery and beyond
The staff believes effective instruction begins at the Tier I (Universal) Level. MMS teachers meet at least once each week to analyze student data, coordinate Tier I instruction, and prepare Tier II/III intervention lessons. Additionally, students’ schedules dedicate time each day for intervention that includes flexible student groupings based on data analysis. Student groups change every two weeks and provide opportunities for social-emotional learning.
Exemplary Practice Standard Alignment:
- Standard 5 – Equitable Opportunities to Learn and Effective Instruction
- Standard 6 – Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress
Additionally, Mountaineer Middle School:
- Supports educator practice through monthly Learning Walks, during which each teacher observes a peer’s classroom to learn from one another.
- Empowers students to take ownership of their learning by scheduling individual student conferences to discuss their progress and set individual goals.
United Technical Center:
At the heart of the United Technical Center (UTC) school family is a commitment to excellence in education, one embodied through an unwavering, uninterrupted dedication to instructional leadership. This belief is the cornerstone of student achievement, and it is incumbent upon the entire body, faculty, students, and administration to ensure that it is seamlessly implemented.
The instructional leadership at UTC does not start and stop with the administration, but is an active, living part of every staff members’ working day. Through a shared vision and collective responsibility, the staff collaborates to engage students in a dynamic and effective learning experience where the students become the leaders in their own classrooms.
Exemplary Practice Standard Alignment:
- Standard 2 – Instructional Leadership: Students are engaged in age-appropriate leadership opportunities
Additionally, United Technical Center:
- Is committed to excellence in education through the dedication of faculty, students and administration to instructional leadership.
- Promotes a shared vision of engaging students in a dynamic and effective learning experience, where the students become the leaders in their own classrooms.
- Believes in student agency, and understands true learning occurs when students are actively engaged in the decision- making process about their education.
- Empowers students to take ownership of their educational journey through age-appropriate leadership opportunities, including student-led initiatives and peer-tutoring.