SELF-REPORTED INDICATORS

Schools may choose to describe up to two additional pieces of information about how their school is supporting students. These self-reported indicators are not factored into school accountability calculations but provide the opportunity for schools to highlight successful programs or practices in addition to the indicators included in school accountability.

PARENT & FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Polk School: A Pillar in the Community The 2022-23 school year was a banner year for Polk Pride. A nearly 100-year old legacy of community pride in the school was renewed with the opening of the newly-renovated and expanded Polk School. This reopening brought families back to our school, excited for the new learning environment. More students than expected enrolled at Polk last year, far exceeding the number of students previously projected. And with more students came more teachers. To keep up, the school had to hire three additional teachers mid-year! In addition to these three classroom teachers, an enrichment teacher was hired as well, renewing the legacy of the Polk Enrichment Program (PEP). And in addition to returning to its roots, parents were engaged by school administration throughout the year to help design Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) systems that would help create and support positive classroom communities so all students can reach the highest levels of success possible. Through its participation and engagement, the community showed that it was ready to have its school back. With a renewed building came a renewed sense of community pride in what the building has always represented: a commitment to student achievement and success. We are excited to keep building on the Polk Legacy.

SCHOOL-LEVEL FACTORS A Vision for School-wide AVID Implementation In 2022-23, Polk continued to build a foundation for strong AVID systems to deepen student thinking and build individual determination. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and represents student empowerment to maximize their own learning of rigorous curriculum. Throughout the year, the faculty established a vision for what they wanted AVID implementation to look like in the school by creating a horizontal and vertical alignment of AVID strategies common across grade levels. And this vision took on new meaning for teachers as many visited an AVID exemplar school and saw first-hand the immediate impact of AVID strategies on student thinking and learning. This visit re-energized teachers and their efforts for AVID implementation and many started to implement what they saw at the exemplar school right away. To round out this year of leaning in on AVID learning, a large contingent of teachers attended a summer AVID institute where they deepened their own understanding of AVID foundations and prepared for another year of AVID implementation. After a year of extensive AVID learning among teachers, Polk School solidified its identity as an AVID school that seeks to build individual student determination to advance, succeed, and achieve.