PHOTOS PROVIDED Group photos of students at Bellefonte Area School District are shown.

PHOTOS PROVIDED
Group photos of students at Bellefonte Area School District are shown.

BELLEFONTE — The Bellefonte Area School District began the school year by listening to keynote speaker, Hamish Brewer. Mr. Brewer spoke to the district and the staff of Bald Eagle Area School District and the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) staff about turning up each day for our students and that being our best for them will leave a lasting legacy. He did an excellent job and helped provide an inspiring start to the school year!

Each of the BASD buildings focus on goals to help increase the district’s student performance — to be the people that show up for the students each day and help them to become their best selves.

At the elementary level, all four buildings have been diligently working on strategic goals aimed at improving student achievement, expanding support systems and fostering a positive school culture. These goals, developed using assessment data as well as input from students and teachers, align closely with district-wide initiatives.

A primary focus for each school has been improving student achievement. To accomplish this, educators have been meeting with building-level data teams, implementing student data conferencing and utilizing high-impact, research-based instructional practices. By analyzing student progress, schools are able to tailor instruction to meet individual learning needs effectively. This includes the expansion of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) into mathematics. The district currently has a successful process in place for grades K-5 in reading. The schools are working closely with Math Intervention Specialists to provide targeted support, particularly for third-grade students receiving additional math assistance. Progress monitoring data is being collected and used to address specific learning gaps. We will expand this process into additional grades starting next school year.

In addition to academic goals, all schools are prioritizing efforts to address bullying. School counselors teach lessons every other six-day cycle that include conflict resolution and social-emotional learning. Students learn a great deal about bullying and how to resolve problems through these lessons. Administrators and support teams actively collect behavior data to identify patterns and implement interventions aimed at fostering a respectful and inclusive school environment.

Further strengthening school culture, schools are streamlining discipline practices and developing systems for using behavior data to guide improvements. By implementing a more consistent approach to discipline, schools aim to create a positive learning atmosphere for all students.

Another district-aligned goal is the implementation of common assessments across all elementary schools. Teachers collaborate on professional learning days and during grade-level and department meetings to design these assessments. Discussions regarding these initiatives also take place at district curriculum meetings involving both educators and administrators.

School leaders, teachers and staff have been working diligently throughout the year to achieve these goals and are pleased with the progress made. Regular meetings with the Superintendent ensure that efforts remain on track, and teachers continue to play a vital role in monitoring progress and refining strategies.

At the secondary level, the middle school, high school and online learning teams are all working towards similar district goals to help with student achievement.

At the Bellefonte Area Middle School (BAMS) and the Bellefonte Area High School (BAHS), the staff are working towards providing common assessments, analyzing and utilizing data, along with providing a safe school environment.

Teachers have been working on creating and implementing common assessments throughout the year. Common assessments at the secondary level are a standard test given by multiple teachers to students across classrooms to evaluate their learning. The assessments are to be rigorous and standards-aligned. The goal is to then compare results to identify areas for student improvement and teaching methods.

The BAMS has a building-level data team that meets regularly throughout the year to review all available data points. The use of common assessments help to increase the use of data to identify patterns and trends, prioritize areas for growth, determine root causes and establish cyclical patterns of continuous improvement.

Lastly, middle school can be a tough place to be as an adolescent. BAMS is working diligently to provide a safe school environment to support student learning and growth. Students engage in monthly lessons that include topics such as bullying, friendships, cyber and social media awareness, empathy and kindness. The school environment can still be difficult at the high school level, so in addition to the general safe school practices, BAHS has specifically partnered with the Jana Marie Foundation to provide Teen Mental Health First Aid training to all 10th graders and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training for all 11th graders.

As the school year progresses, district leaders remain committed to supporting these efforts, ensuring that every elementary and secondary school provides a high-quality, inclusive and engaging learning environment for students.

Bellefonte Area School District

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318 N. Allegheny St.,

Bellefonte, PA 16823

814-355-4814 / www.basd.net