What works for Miller

Every school district has its own climate, its own priorities and challenges, its own recipe for success. In the Miller Area School District , that recipe for success includes a strong focus on reading and math, as well as a commitment to proven strategies.

“We stick with what works for us,” said Elementary Principal Shawn Oligmueller of the district’s success. “What works for one district may not work for another.”

In 2003-04, the district, located on the sprawling prairies of central South Dakota , had a student population of approximately 530 students. Forty percent of those students were eligible for the free and reduced lunch program.

Reading is a priority across Miller’s schools, and the language arts program demonstrates it. “We’re hooked on it,” said Sandy Greenough a 1 st-grade teacher at Miller Elementary School.

Students in grades K-3 participate in “leveled” reading. Students are tested at the beginning of the year, and then placed into a level at which they are comfortable. From here, students read books out of their respective boxes located in a book room. Students are re-assessed often throughout the school year and are able to move up when they display adequate progress. Sam Simons, a student at Miller Elementary, enjoys the focus on reading. He said the selection of books is “great.”

Gayle Vrooman, a 6 th-grade language arts teacher, said she notices the positive effects of the language arts program by the time students get to her. Students in grades 3-6 use the McGraw-Hill Reading series. In addition, students in grades 4-6 participate in the Accelerated Reading program, which is used as a reading supplement and to get students interested in reading for pleasure. Although a widespread program, Vrooman says her students excel by keeping reading logs, which allow them to see their growth and set higher goals for themselves. Vrooman also overlaps what her students read with the grammar lesson they happen to be covering.

When it comes to math, Miller Elementary has used the Saxon Math series for the last decade. The series uses an incremental approach based on building and reinforcing skills learned throughout the year. Vrooman says although the series is prescriptive, teachers are able to incorporate many of their own activities.

The Saxon series works well at the elementary level, but the series changes in junior high. Jan Deuter, a Title 1 teacher, says that adjusting to a new series in junior high is hard for students. Test scores are evaluated to check this adjustment, and the teachers work to explore options to help with this. This is a trend that can be seen a lot throughout the district – collecting data and using it to solve a problem.

Miller still uses the “Effective Schools” approach. This approach, which was initiated by the state in the mid-1980s, has been long-lived in Miller. It allows all schools in the district to meet once a month to discuss pertinent issues. Recently, one such issue was working on the district’s improvement plan under North Central Association. “It’s a lot easier to sit down with all the teachers in the district to get things done rather then just a few,” Oligmueller said.

Another approach Miller takes is the way they deliver their Dakota STEP tests. “More and more schools are exploring different ways to administer the tests,” said Gary Skoglund, the Department of Education’s assessment director. The Miller district breaks test giving into three or four days versus cramming them into one day.

This tactic is especially helpful at the elementary age. “Younger children are able to focus more when tests are shorter,” Skoglund said.

As with any school district, the key to success in Miller can’t be attributed to one factor. Rather, it’s a combination of factors, including focusing on the basics, following proven strategies and good communication. Whatever the combination may be, students in Miller are responding positively!