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ACADEMIC RIGOR
What is equity?
Although some may think equity means lowering expectations or taking opportunities away from some students to give to others, this could not be further from the truth. In fact, in ISD 199, equity means making sure that every student is challenged and that we’re using our resources strategically so every student has more opportunities.
We believe that all students can and will learn at their highest potential if we challenge them, remove barriers, and give them the tools they need.
Increasing academic challenge for all students looks like: providing differentiation in all classes, preschool through 12th grade, so every student feels challenged. Differentiation means teachers can make changes to what each student is learning, how the student learns it, and how the student must demonstrate their learning so the student gets what they need to be successful to the greatest extent possible. As part of differentiation, teachers provide different supports and assign different tasks to students in their class based on what will challenge each student and best allow that student to demonstrate their understanding.
Removing barriers to educational access looks like: providing enrichment opportunities to students at all levels, providing universal screening for Gifted and Talented at the elementary level, increasing access to rigorous coursework for middle school students, and encouraging all high school students to take advantage of the provided opportunities to earn early college credit and professional experience.
These intentional efforts, starting with preschool students, lead to more success as students move through the ISD 199 school system. We are proud to consistently have some of the highest graduation rates in the state, higher than average ACT scores, and large percentages of students each year who are taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and earning college credit. In fact, every Simey High School student now graduates with college credit. They also have opportunities to graduate with a nationally recognized professional certification through our Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) courses, or with real-world career experience through the Genesys Works Program and our TriDistrict Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program, which partners with local businesses to build the professional habits of juniors and seniors and connect them with internships.
Giving students the tools to succeed looks like: STEAMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & humanities, Math, & Media) classes at the elementary schools preparing students with Future Ready skills, STEM Explorations and AVID strategies at IGH Middle School teaching students lifelong skills like time management and academic discussion, and TriDistrict CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) classes and courses for professional certifications at Simley High School that students can complete to gain work experience before graduation.
What happened to the honors track at IGH Middle School?
The previous two-track system (honors and regular) provided all students with the exact same grade-level standards and content with delivery at a slightly different pace and within a different classroom. This model did not provide the challenge and early high school credit that academically advanced students needed, and it limited students on the regular track from challenging themselves.
Rigor has increased for all students. Now, rather than barring students from more challenging classes if they did not start on the honors track in 6th grade, IGH Middle School provides pathways customized for each student through:
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Subject Acceleration - Advanced students can be promoted one year or more through a subject in which they excel, accessing standards above their grade level and potentially earning high school credit while still in middle school.
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Tiered Tasks & Assignments - All IGH Middle School teachers are trained in differentiation, meaning they can make changes to what each student is learning, how the student learns it, and how the student must demonstrate their learning. Teachers assign tiered tasks and assignments to support and challenge students based on their individual needs. Tiers include standard tasks and assignments as well as advanced tasks and assignments.
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Advanced Options - Students also have opportunities to complete Advanced Options assignments throughout the school year and are encouraged to do so. Advanced Options are guided opportunities for students to select advanced tasks and coursework that extend their thinking and their demonstration of learning beyond the standard grade-level application. Advanced Options require students to gain a greater complexity and depth of knowledge and prepare them to take advanced coursework and college courses once they transition to Simley High School.
IGH Middle School students who subject accelerate and earn early high school credit have the opportunity to continue that same course path when they begin at Simley High School. These students often begin 9th grade in 10th- or 11th-grade English and math courses. Students at other middle schools do not have that opportunity, and students coming from other middle schools who enroll at Simley must complete a Credit by Assessment to qualify for acceleration. Many students transferring from other middle schools are not prepared with the same background or skills to pass the Credit by Assessment and qualify for acceleration in high school, particularly in English and science courses.
IGH Middle School is also one of the few surrounding middle schools that offers direct service for 6th-8th graders identified as gifted. ISD 199 gifted and talented services staff offer direct service for students in grades 2-8 who are identified as gifted, working with middle school students on enrichment projects. They also support middle school teachers, as well as elementary school teachers, in providing more challenging, in-depth learning opportunities for advanced students.
While the honors track only provided grade-level content and limited the opportunities that IGH Middle School students had to challenge themselves, our middle school is proud of the work that staff have done to increase the level of challenge for every student. Since IGH Middle School began providing more opportunities and increasing rigor more than the two-track system would allow, Simley High School has seen an increase in the number of students successfully taking advanced placement (AP) and college-level courses in high school. Simley, in turn, has also increased rigor in its classrooms to ensure that students are being challenged at their highest level and enrolling in opportunities to earn college credit, professional credentials, and work experience before graduation. Click here to read more about Advanced Coursework and Acceleration at IGH Middle School.
Does ISD 199 no longer give out F grades?
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) required schools to give grades of NC, or “No Credit,” instead of F during the height of the pandemic, the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. As required by MDE, students who did not successfully complete a course did not earn credit and got an NC on their report card. That is no longer a requirement from MDE and is not a practice currently in place in ISD 199.
How are ISD 199 students performing?
We continue to perform at or above the state average across many grade levels. However, while state reports and aggregates are an easy number to look to, they do not necessarily show how each student is doing. ISD 199 is focused on the growth of individual students, and our ultimate goal is to grow students every moment that they are in our classrooms up until they cross the stage at graduation.
We are proud to consistently have some of the highest graduation rates in the state, higher than average ACT scores, and large percentages of students each year who are taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and earning college credit. In fact, every Simey High School student now graduates with college credit. They also have opportunities to graduate with a nationally recognized professional certification through our Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) courses, or with real-world career experience through the Genesys Works Program and our TriDistrict Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program, which partners with local businesses to build the professional habits of juniors and seniors and connect them with internships.
What is Simley High School’s graduation rate?
Simley High School has consistently had a higher graduation rate than the state average. Simley’s Alternative Learning Program has also had outstanding results, including a 100% graduate rate for the Class of 2020.