A third Hutchinson USD 308 elementary school has been approved for launch as a redesign school.
After an hour-long presentation to the Kansas State Department of Education with ESSDACK looking on, Lincoln Elementary School staff were given the formal go-ahead from the department to go forward with their redesign efforts.
Or to use KSDE parlance, Lincoln received the go ahead for a “launch” of its redesign.
Lincoln started studying the redesign process in the fall of 2019. In 2020, the school was approved by KSDE to be an Apollo II school.
“As a part of this process, the Redesign Team talked with staff members, businesses, parents, and students,” said Darla Fisher, Lincoln principal. “These conversations led the staff to create a common reason for wanting to redesign our school. Lincoln will help the students to develop a growth mindset, so that they can become community changers.”
Lincoln did a survey of students, parents, staff and the community, receiving input from 331 individuals.
A vision for Lincoln was also created: “Lincoln will teach the academic and social-emotional skills needed for students to be able to set goals, complete projects, help our community and be successful at a job.”
As the process continued, the team set three goal areas:
- Increase student motivation and engagement: Lincoln will use Project Based Learning (PBL) to encourage students to explore their interests in cross-curricular learning. Students will set goals, work in small groups, and present the information that they have learned.
- Address Individual Student Learning Needs: Lincoln will address individual needs by using multi-age groups across grade bands of K-2 and 3-6 to address specific skill areas for students. Teachers will teach students using competencies for each academic area. Students will be taught to set goals and have a sense of ownership in their own learning. Students will work at their own pace until they meet mastery level.
- Instill a Growth Mindset: Lincoln will have a school-wide focus on growth mindset by implementing lessons during morning meetings as a school and in the classroom. These lessons will allow us to create a strong sense of community by reinforcing a common vocabulary and common experiences.
Earlier this year, Wiley Elementary School and Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen also were given approval to launch.