Idaho Building Capacity Project
2023-24
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
Welcome
4
IBC Mission Overview
6
IBC Roadmap
Regions 1 & 2
7
School Identification
Phone: 208.874.3568
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IBC Districts 2008-Present
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2022-23 IBC Schools
Regions 3 & 4
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IBC by Region
Lori Furgerson, Boise State University
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North Idaho Testimonials
Phone: 208.340.8883
Email: lorifurgerson@boisestate.edu
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North Idaho Biographies
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Southwest Idaho Testimonials
Regions 5 & 6
Bryan Jolley, Idaho State University
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Southwest Idaho Biographies
Phone: 208.705.6060
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Southeast Idaho Testimonials
Email: bryanjolley@isu.edu
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Southeast Idaho Biographies
Statewide IBC Support Coordinator
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IBC at a Glance
Michelle Pancoast, Boise State University
Phone: 541.749.8367
43
Thank You
Email: michellepancoast@boisestate.edu
IBC Coordinators
Libbi Barrett, University of Idaho Email: lbarrett@uidaho.edu
Idaho Department of Education Federal Programs Director
Josh Notebloom
Phone: 208.332.6893
2
Email: jnoteboom@sde.idaho.gov
School Improvement Coordinator
Patty Dalrymple
Phone: 208.332.6917
Email: pdalrymple@sde.idaho.gov
WELCOME
FROM THE IBC PROJECT The IBC Project is a cornerstone of Idaho’s Statewide System of Support for Title I schools and districts that have been identified for improvement. It is designed and delivered in partnership with Boise State University, Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho. Capacity Builders (CBs) work with schools or districts identified by the Idaho State Department of Education (ISDE) to participate in the Idaho Building Capacity Project for a 3-year commitment to school improvement. The CB collaborates with the school or district site improvement team to develop, implement, and monitor a comprehensive school improvement plan and performance agreement in order to improve the academic performance of all students at the school. The project provides on-site coaching, consulting, and technical assistance, along with virtual coaching designed to assist schools and districts in building their own internal capacity to sustain school improvement efforts. A key component of the IBC Project is the utilization of Capacity Builders, distinguished educators who have the skills, knowledge, and expertise to facilitate the work of school improvement. The project requires a commitment on behalf of the district and school with a willingness to benefit in order to ensure aligned efforts. We encourage you to explore this report to learn more about our capacity building efforts and their positive impact in districts and schools throughout Idaho. 3
IDAHO BUILDING CAPACITY MISSION OVERVIEW
The Idaho Building Capacity Project (IBC) partners with school and district leadership to create sustainable, collaborative, data-driven systems that promote student achievement. Through collective efficacy, IBC centers on these Five Foundational Focuses:
Leadership
Safe & Supportive Learning Environment
Capacity Builders provide schools/districts on-site support: Coaching
Technical Assistance
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Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Y PROJECT
TO REACH IBC GOALS:
HIGH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Focused Professional Development
Professional Development
Resources
Family & Community Engagement
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
BUILDING LEADERSHIP
SUSTAINABILITY 5
YEAR ONE (2022-2023): •
Participating schools were carefully matched with a Capacity Builder to provide technical assistance and support with a focus on building an effective leadership team, analyzing data, completing a comprehensive needs assessment, and developing a school improvement plan to set goals.
YEAR TWO (2023-24): •
Schools continued to work with their Capacity Builder to implement and monitor the comprehensive school improvement plan using data to make decisions and adapt strategies.
•
Participating schools continued to receive professional development on leadership, efficacy, and professional learning communities as well as data analysis, chronic absenteeism, and other need-based training.
YEAR THREE (2024-25): • •
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Schools and Capacity Builders work towards sustainable systems to ensure implementation of strategies and data driven decisions continue after exit critera is met.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT IDENTIFICATION IBC SCHOOLS ARE IDENTIFIED BY THE ISDE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
Schools in each of the three categories are sorted by their performance on each indicator shown in the tables over the most recent three-year period. Because of COVID-19 lapses in testing, some metrics had only one or two years of available data. A school’s percentile ranks from its indicators are combined to create a composite value. In the composite value, academic indicators are given greater weight – 90 percent – and the school quality and student success indicators are weighted at 10 percent. This composite value of student achievement is used in the identification of CSI Up, TSI, ATSI, and Top Performing schools.
Comprehensive Support and Improvement Underperforming (CSI Up)
Identification is based on using a composite of the performance indicators; the lowest 5 percent of schools in each school category performing schools are identified.
Comprehensive Support and Improvement Underperforming (CSI Up-R)
Reidentification is based on the performance of schools on four academic indicators and one school quality/ student success indicator for the all-students group. Using a composite of the performance indicators, 5% of the lowest performing schools were identified. These schools did not meet the exit criteria set by the ISDE.
Comprehensive Support and Improvement Graduation (CSI Grad)
Identification based on three years of graduation rates (5-year-cohort) below 67.0 percent. In prior years, CSI Grad was based on 4-year cohort graduation rates.
Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI)
Identification based on the composite value of a student group (students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students in minority race/ethnicity) is among the lowest 5 percent of schools in each school category and is less than the all students composite value among CSI Up schools in the corresponding school category.
Additional Targeted Support and Improvement Schools (ATSI)
Identification based on the lowest five percent of TSI schools, per student group, per school category.
Feeder Schools
Elementary schools that feed into middle schools/junior highs that have been identified as CSI UP, CSI UP-R TSI, or ATSI and are receiving services from the IBC Project. 2022-2023 School Accountability - Indicator Summaries - https://www.sde.idaho.gov/assessment/accountability/files/accountability-results/2022/ School-Accountability-2022.pdf
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IBC DISTRICTS
15 YEARS OF SERVICE
66%
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DISTRICTS SERVED
NORTH REGIONS I & II
Avery School District #394 Boundary County School District #101 Coeur d’Alene School District #271 Culdesac School District #342 Forrest M. Bird Charter #487 Kellogg Joint School District #391 Kendrick Joint School District #283 Kootenai Bridge Academy #470 Kootenai Joint School District #274 Lakeland School District #272 Lake Pend Oreille School District #084 Lapwai School District #321 Lewiston Independent School District #340 Moscow School District #281 Mountain View School District #244 Orofino Joint School District #171 Palouse Prairie Educational Org #472 Plummer-Worley Joint School District #044 Post Falls School District #273 Sandpoint Charter School #487 St. Maries Joint School District #041 Troy School District #287 West Bonner County School District #083
SOUTHWEST REGIONS III & IV
Another Choice Virtual Charter #476 Bruneau-Grand View Jt. School District #365 Buhl School District #412 Caldwell School District #132 (Pilot) Cambridge School District #432 Cascade School District #422 Cassia County School District #151 Council School District #013 COSSA #555 Dietrich School District #314 Filer School District #413 Fruitland School District #373 Glenns Ferry School District #192 Gooding School District #231 Hansen School District #415 Heritage Academy #479 Heritage Community Charter #481 Homedale School District #370 Horseshoe Bend School District #073 Idaho Connects Online Charter #469 Jerome Joint School District #261 Kuna Joint School District #3 Marsing Joint School District #363 Meadows Valley School District #011 Middleton School District #134 Minidoka School District #331 Mountain Home School District #193 (Pilot) Murtaugh Joint School District # 418 Nampa School District #131 Notus School District #135 Parma School District #137 Payette Joint School District #371 Shoshone School District #312 Twin Falls School District #411 Vallivue School District #139 Weiser School District #431 Wendell School District #232 West Ada School District #002 Wilder School District #133
SINCE ITS INCEPTEION IN 2008,
IBC HAS TOUCHED APPROXIMATELY 66%
OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN IDAHO
SOUTHEAST REGIONS V & VI
Aberdeen School District #058 American Falls School District #381 Blackfoot School District #055 Bonneville Joint School District #093 Butte County Joint School District #111 Challis Joint School District #181 Chief Tahgee Elementary Acadmy, Inc. #483 Clark County District #161 Firth School District #059 Fremont School District #215 Idaho Falls School District #091 Jefferson County Joint School District #251 Madison School District #321 Marsh Valley School District #021 Oneida School District #351 Pocatello/Chubbuck School District #025 Preston Joint School District #201 Salmon District #291 Shelley Joint School District #060 Snake River School District #052 Teton School District #401 The Academy District #460 The Pocatello Community Charter School, Inc. #494 West Jefferson School District #253
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IBC SCHOOLS 2023-2024
NORTH
REGIONS I & II
Calder School (0820) – CSI UP Lakeside Elementary School (0752) – CSI UP Lakeside High School (0030) – CSI UP Lakeside Middle School (0128) – CSI UP Lapwai Middle/High School (0583) – CSI UP
SOUTHWEST REGIONS III & IV
Bridge Academy (1147) – CSI UP Buhl Middle School (0179) – CSI UP
Palouse Prairie Charter School (1234) – TSI/ATSI Paradise Creek Regional High School (0612) – CSI Grad Priest River Jr High School (0044) – TSI/ATSI Priest River Lamanna High (0048) – CSI UP Tammany High School (1034) – CSI Grad UpRiver Elementary School (0374) – CSI UP Venture High School (1037) – CSI Grad
Canyon Springs High School (1090) – CSI Grad Cassia Jr/Sr High School (0990) – CSI Grad East Minico Middle School (0148) – CSI UP East Valley Middle School (1109) – CSI UP Glenns Ferry Middle School (0241) – CSI UP Jefferson Middle School (0064) – CSI UP Kuna Middle School (0013) – CSI UP South Hills Middle School (1393) – CSI UP West Middle School (0061) – CSI UP West Minico Middle School (0149) – CSI UP Wilder Middle School (1389) – CSI UP
SOUTHEAST REGIONS V & VI
Challis Jr/Sr High School (0089) – TSI/ATSI Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy – CSI UP Clark County Jr/Sr HS (0085) – CSI UP Donald J Hobbs Middle School (0039) – TSI/ATSI Dora Erickson Elementary School (0422) – CSI UP Emerson High School (1048) – CSI Grad Fort Hall Elementary School (0387) – CSI UP Hawthorne Middle School (0021) – TSI/ATSI Hazel Stuart Elementary (0392) – TSI/ATSI Independence Alt High School (9006) – CSI Grad Jefferson High School (1143) – CSI Grad Madison Junior High (0145)- CSI UP Preston Jr High School (0291) – TSI/ATSI South Fremont Jr High (0098) – TSI/ATSI Teton Middle School (0195) – TSI/ATSI William Thomas Middle School (0167) – CSI UP
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IBC BY REGION Testimonials & Biographies
NORTH IDAHO TESTIMONIALS Regions I & II Many schools currently participating in the Idaho Building Capacity Project have seen improvement. Here are just a few and a snapshot of their successes so far.
Venture Academy Coeur d’Alene Public Schools #271 Working with a Capacity Builder is about having a coach and mentor who has been through a process that works. A Capacity Builder is a trusted person to address the real issues and can come up with realistic solutions. Venture Academy believes in taking “all students” with the hope of empowering them for a successful future, “doing the right work”. The result has increased graduation rates. The growth of the school started with about 95 students and has increased to about 320 students. From a two percent special education rate to about twenty people, this is attributed to building a community reputation as a place where students can come and get the help they need. At Venture Academy the at-risk population found a safe-place and an environment to solve some of their problems. Our work with families is just as important as it is the students. The Capacity Builder has helped the school find ways to reach families and engage parents at whatever level they are able to. A major component to our success is the Mastery Based Learning that our Capacity Builder has helped guide our staff through to success. The Capacity Builder is a support, a cheerleader, a helper in achieving our goals, a staff mentor, and assists with finding alternative solutions. The growth we have reached as a school would have been virtually impossible without a Capacity Builder. The Capacity Builder has helped me widen our resilience and my capacity as a principal, increasing the community outreach and towards school improvement. The Capacity Builder has pushed me out of my comfort zone and expanded my knowledge. By providing a synopsis of books, workshops, and other knowledge, now I have a staff blog that incorporates the big ideas, making complicated situations and knowledge into easy to attain information. The Capacity Builder also assists with attaining resources and using data in a way to tell a truthful story. Venture Academy with the assistance of the Capacity Builder, identified better assessments that enabled staff to identify student needs. Our Capacity Builder stands back and helps the administrator build structures to prevent the future issues and be proactive. As a result, helping staff communicate has helped us create a system to share the information that is vulnerable and hard to hear to address problems previously unknown, allowing staff to be vulnerable with each other, creating a feedback culture that allows us to share data, build trust to ask the hard questions, and implement the realistic feedback.
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Priest River Lamanna High School West Bonner County District #083 Priest River Lamanna High School increased their ELA proficiency by 5.6% since 2022. Priest River Lamanna High School had a leadership team prior to this year of working with a Capacity Builder. It functioned very well, but the team was facing a building culture afraid to take risks and jaded by a revolving door of new administrators. The leadership team has always been high functioning, but felt defeated and exhausted from having to recreate the wheel every time a new administrator was hired. The team just needed some consistency in implementing what they considered the most important things for PRLHS students and staff. Working with the IBC Project and a Capacity Builder has been invaluable!!! The process is daunting, but when we work with great leaders every day, they know what needs to be done. With the assistance of our Capacity Builder, but we have “turned over” our leadership team to a new round of members this year. Many of our veteran members have been on the team for more than 8 years. We see it as a giant success that they felt the work they have done has made a sustainable impact on the culture and daily practices. We, at Priest Lamanna High, have truly defined leadership as listening to each other and not just sharing our opinions, but rather those of our colleagues. Last year’s leadership team led the effort to create “THE SPARTAN WAY”. The intent was to design a culture and climate of learning that did not end when students got their diploma. The Spartan Way defines expectations for students, teachers, and administrators. It also establishes a shared belief of the “5 R’s” (centered around the 8 Keys of Excellence in Quantum Learning): Responsibility, Respect, Reflective, Risk-Taking, Relentless We have not fully implemented “The Spartan Way”, but this year’s leadership team will be tasked with continuing that work. We have had Capacity Builders in the past, but I think our leadership team really went all in this time and feels that we can make real and sustainable change. Tremendous gains have been made in classroom management directly related back to what the leadership team saw as the highest needs. On walkabouts around the building, our students were obviously engaging in lessons and activities!! This was not consistently true before the work they put in. None of that would have happened without staff buy-in. I feel they nailed it in identifying the things we needed to work on that the entire staff could rally around, stay focused on every day, every class! Probably the biggest success has been our teachers showing up to work without contracts, not knowing the financial state of the district, not knowing if or when they would be paid, and constant “noise” regarding the superintendent and school board!! We cannot underestimate the power of simply having an expert like a Capacity Builder tell you that what you are trying to do will make a difference....just don’t give up! That is probably the biggest thing we needed. We are Spartans....my staff has proven this Fall that they truly live by “The Spartan Way”!! GOOOOOOOO SPARTANS!!!
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Upriver Elementary School St. Maries Joint District #041 ELA growth of 20.1% Math proficiency increased 3.4% Math growth of 6.9% Chronic Absenteeism decreased by 8.6% Prior to being a part of the IBC Project, our school did have a leadership team. The team functioned much like it functions now, but was more driven by the building principal versus a shared leadership model where every member of the team is encouraged and expected to participate. Due to our small school and having a small amount of staff, many of our staff participate in many required meetings. As a way to save time for them, our leadership meeting was bundled together with other meetings. This saved time, however, it possibly was at a detriment by not targeting specific time to a specific purpose. Since the start of the IBC process, our Building Leadership attendance has moved from 40 percent of teachers participating to 83 percent of our teachers participating. The prevalence of meetings has also increased. After all, if we are going to make significant improvements, is it realistic to think meeting 6-9 times a year will help us make our goals? Our team is deeply invested in improving instruction and outcomes for our students. We work together collaboratively to create a positive and supportive environment where each teacher is encouraged to excel and contribute their expertise. This collective dedication to student success is the driving force behind our team’s effectiveness and the impact that we have had on students so far. In fact, our student representative from the 2022-2023 school year provided some valuable feedback that has stuck with me and has been used to support our goals. All decision-making is team-driven. Our team regularly discusses our data, goals, and strategies we have in place to accomplish our goals. Team members freely share information, ideas, strategies, and feedback. We take time to reflect on our teaching practices and the impact they are having on students. Our teachers have not been afraid to try new strategies, interventions, teaching methods, or technologies. The UpRiver teachers regularly access the regional math specialist as well as the ELA specialist (when we had one). We have also had Capacity Builders who have been readily accessible, great thought partners, and mentors for all of us. Having access to a Capacity Builder (CB) through the IBC Project has not only helped our team navigate the process of school improvement, but it has also allowed us to have an external thought partner with fresh perspectives and different insights. Since the CB is not bound by existing norms, biases, or the culture of our school, it has allowed them to be able to help the team see issues from a different angle. Our CBs have been able to draw from their own experiences in other educational systems, which allowed our team to explore additional ways to approach our challenges. Bonds have been created between our school staff and our CBs, and they have felt like part of our school community and not an outsider. Among our achievements, we have seen growth in math proficiency for the summative ISAT, growth in IRI proficiency, improvements in math growth for the summative ISAT, and a significant increase in ELA growth for the summative ISAT. However, the area of growth that may prove to be the most significant, as one could anticipate it will help us in every academic and non-academic indicator is our chronic absenteeism. We went from having 33.3 percent of our students being chronically absent in 2020 and 34.7 percent of students being chronically absent in 2022, to 26.1 percent in 2023 and believe that we will match or beat the state averages in 2024.
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Lakeside Elementary School Plummer-Worley Joint District #044 Lakeside Elementary had a math growth of 23.4% since 2022. During the last two years, the staff at Lakeside Elementary have worked hard to build our capacity as a high-functioning team that carries the mindset, behaviors, and dispositions of a true shared leadership model. I have always believed that I am only one part of the team and that our team will have the biggest impact and that we are inherently better when we share the leadership. The benefits of our high-functioning leadership team are cohesiveness, strong culture, and working well together to identify the challenges and barriers to student learning. We coordinate efforts and communicate to remove those identified obstacles so students can learn at high levels. Because we have adopted a growth mindset, individually and collectively, we have learned and grown so much. Right now we understand and know to be true our school’s mission: that ALL students will learn at high levels. One of the many successes we have experienced is that we are “ all in”. We are able to communicate with our shared knowledge and vision knowing we are all on the same page. There is a lot of power in being open, vulnerable, and willing to do the hard and sometimes messy work. But the bottom line is we are all in it for the kids and we are walking every day with our mission and our beliefs… with zeal! - Dani Boyd, Principal
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NORTH IDAHO BIOGRAPHIES Regions I & II
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LIBBI BARRETT,
She has built leadership capacity and provided coaching to
REGIONAL COORDINATOR
counselors, assistant principals, and new principals during
Libbi Barrett is the Regional Coordinator for
her tenure with in Spokane Public Schools. She has provided
the Idaho Building Capacity Project with the University of Idaho, serving the Northern Regions 1 and 2.
workshops and trainings on the development of child study teams, response to intervention, effects of trauma on student
She is a third-generation educator, following the path of her
learning, and 504 law and procedures.
grandmother, grandfather, father, and mother. Libbi began
Bonnie earned a BA degree in Special Education at Arizona
her career as a first-grade teacher and is a proud Idaho Van-
State University, a MA in Counseling and Guidance at the Uni-
dal, earning degrees in Elementary Education and a Master’s
versity of Northern Colorado, and completed her administra-
Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Ida-
tive credential at Portland State University. She is proud to be
ho. Her educational career spans over three decades and
a part of the Idaho Building Capacity Project and is committed
includes serving Idaho districts as a Title 1 reading specialist
to providing high quality support for her schools.
and as a building principal at the elementary and high school levels. Prior to her role as Regional Coordinator, Libbi served as Assistant Superintendent and Director of Secondary Curric-
Bonnie leads an active lifestyle and enjoys running, golfing, hiking, and playing with her two grandchildren.
ulum for a large district and as a Capacity Builder.
ALICA HOLTHAUS, CB
Libbi Barrett is dedicated to educating all students in mean-
Alica Holthaus, a former school superinten-
ingful ways and is passionate about implementing and grow-
dent, principal, and teacher, has joined the
ing evidenced-based, authentic instructional practices in order to graduate students who are informed contributors who are citizen-ready. She celebrates the significant work of Idaho educators and holds the belief that together we can make a difference and that the best is yet to come for our children.
University of Idaho’s Idaho Building Capacity Project as a Capacity Builder for schools in region 1 and 2. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education from Lewis Clark State College and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Idaho, Alica worked as a
In her free time, Libbi loves to read, hike, kayak, garden, and
teacher or administrator in Kimberly, Payette, Cottonwood,
try new recipes. Spending time with family is important to her
Kooskia, and Grangeville. Prior to becoming the superinten-
and, during the summer months, you can find Libbi on Lake
dent of St. Maries School District, she worked as a school prin-
Pend Oreille.
cipal in Troy, Missouri. She retired in June of 2023. Alica is proud that she spent 20 years as a classroom teacher
BONNIE DUCHARME, CB
prior to becoming an administrator. She feels that it made her
Bonnie Ducharme supports school admin-
a different administrator. Working with students is important
istrators and leadership teams by helping them examine school data. She helps them use the data to develop SMART goals to improve student achievement. She has been with the IBC Project since 2016. Bonnie has contributed her life’s work to public education. In her 40 plus years as an educator, she has been a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, principal, and district level administrator. She has served students and teachers at all levels, grades K-12 and has also served as an adjunct professor in higher education.
work, as teachers have an opportunity to positively impact children for a lifetime. She loves the art and heart of teaching and is hopeful that she can support schools in having that positive impact. Since retirement, Alica and her husband have moved to Lewiston and are building a home (Let’s get real. She drags around a few boards and some rebar while he does the real work). When she isn’t working, her favorite activity is spending time with her children and grandchildren. With her retirement she has had an opportunity to reflect on her career in education. She believes she could not have made a better choice.
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DENNIS KACHELMIER, CB
Sandpoint Middle School. Kim formed leadership teams that
Dennis Kachelmier began his educational ca-
designed and implemented best practices for continuous im-
reer in 1976 after graduating from Lewis-Clark State College. He returned to his alma mater, Nezperce School District, where he taught for three years. He also taught in Heppner, Oregon and then moved
provement. During his tenure, SMS was recognized as one of the highest performing middle schools in the state. Kim was nominated by his staff and selected by fellow administrators to be the recipient of the 2013 National Principal of the Year
back to Kamiah, where he taught for five years.
Award for the state of Idaho.
He left education for six years for business diversions includ-
Kim earned a BS in microbiology and Masters in Educational
ing selling insurance, securities, and mortgage loans. After completing his administrative credentials at the University of Idaho he was excited to return to public education. He was
Administration from the University of Idaho. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, hiking, skiing, boating, and extensive travel throughout the world.
a secondary principal for 16 years in Nezperce, Clearwater Valley, St. Maries, and Kamiah. He also has twelve years of
LISA NELSON, CB
experience as a Superintendent for the Lapwai, Nezperce,
Lisa Nelson has been a dedicated educator
Kootenai, and Kamiah School Districts.
who has worked with high school students
After 37 years as an educator, Dennis planned to retire but was
for eighteen years to help them find success
recruited for positions with school districts and the Idaho
in ELA learning-confidence and skill-building.
Building Capacity Project. Dennis is starting his fifth year as a
She believes that every student has the capacity to grow and
Capacity Builder with school sites in North Idaho. Dennis has been married to his wife, BK, for 43 years and has seven children. He is proud that all of them have graduated
that flexible, consistent, and creative classrooms are essential to supporting each of them through the learning process. She has taught a variety of classes in the subjects of art, communi-
from college, with three teachers in the family. Following the
cation, and English Language Arts grade-level courses.
activities of his grandchildren and now great-grandchildren,
Lisa earned her undergraduate degree from the University of
“Mr. K” keeps a very busy schedule.
Idaho and continued her education there to earn her Mas-
KIM KEATON, CB As a Capacity Builder, Kim Keaton facilitates education systems by supporting school administrators and leadership teams with the ability to do, experience, and understand best practices for Idaho students. Kim’s experience as a middle school math and science teacher afforded him a diverse background as an educational leader. He coached sports, participated as a member of the district leadership team, and worked diligently on developing curriculum. He was committed to his district’s “cutting edge” approach to systems change, educational evaluation, instructional coaching, evidence-based curriculum and data utilization. Prior to joining IBC eight years ago, he was the principal of
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ter’s in Curriculum and Instruction through the University’s Thomas C. Wright Fellowship. In her spare time, you will most likely find her working on her art or talking with one of her three adult children. Lisa has been excited to bring what she has learned as an educator to her role as a Capacity Builder with the Idaho Building Capacity Project in support of classroom teachers and teaching teams in the schools that she will served.
SOUTHWEST TESTIMONIALS Regions III & IV Buhl Middle School Buhl Joint District #412 Buhl Middle School since 2022: Increased ELA proficiency by 1.8% Decreased Chronic Absenteeism by 5.6% In November of 2022, Buhl Middle School was given the opportunity to partner with two Capacity Builders from the IBC Project to help improve the leadership capacity of our school. Prior to working with IBC, the building leadership team was just being formed. Being able to involve the Capacity Builders has allowed us to grow the building leadership team and its capacity. In the beginning, the team completed the leadership rubric to identify areas of improvement; the rubric was completed again in August of 2023 and showed great strides in our leadership capacity. The team now focuses on schoolwide improvement with an emphasis on data and student growth in our bimonthly meetings. The members of the team are committed to the meeting norms and in having informative data-based discussions, which has led to increased staff efficacy. Through this process, we have also created Professional Learning Communities that help drive the BLT and school improvement. Buhl Middle School feels that the Capacity Builders and the IBC Project have pushed to put a focus on our BLT, student growth, and overall success.
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East Minico Middle School & West Minico Middle School Minidoka County School District #331 In Minidoka County, East and West Minico Middle Schools’ participation in the IBC Project has helped us define leadership roles more clearly, create more consistent and effective leadership team meetings, and helped re-energize and improve classroom instruction practices. The program has assisted us in gathering and analyzing data in order to make informed decisions that improve student learning and performance. Thanks IBC!
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Glenns Ferry Middle School Glenns Ferry Joint District #192 Glenns Ferry Middle School since 2022: Increased Math proficiency by 6.1% Increased Math growth by 6.2% Decreased Chronic Absenteeism by 4.1% Prior to being part of IBC, Glenns Ferry Middle School did not have an effective approach to looking at and analyzing data. Administration looked at and analyzed ISAT data. This data was then shared with the staff, but it wasn’t used in a meaningful way to adjust instructional practices. Since being part of IBC, the teachers at Glenns Ferry Middle School have been much more involved with looking at and analyzing data. After analyzing their student’s data, teachers worked with our Capacity Builders to identify priority standards and rewrite their curriculum maps. Additionally the staff has used student data to set individual growth goals for each of our students. This process included teachers meeting with every student, going over their scores, and working with the student to set their own individual goals. Further, the teachers have also begun giving the SICA test with fidelity. With the help from our Capacity Builders, teachers have analyzed this data and have begun to adjust their lessons and instruction in order to meet the needs of their students.
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Kuna Middle School Kuna Joint District #003 Kuna Middle School successfully removed two TSI Identifications and increased math proficiency by 1.9%. Kuna Middle School is excited to share the positive changes since becoming a CSI school. Our leadership team’s transformation, fueled by the comprehensive support of our Capacity Builder, has been crucial to our success. Previously, our meetings focused more on logistics and less on student achievement. Now, we’re dedicated to building a school that promotes powerful teaching and learning, with a commitment to data-driven discussions and SMART goal setting. Shared leadership has improved communication and initiated the development of our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), enhancing our ability to align vertically and horizontally. Our team is focused on implementing impactful, research-based strategies for success, providing feedback and continuous support to achieve a high level of effectiveness. Our team’s hidden talents, uncovered through shared leadership, contribute to the overall success of the work we are accomplishing at KMS. Collaborative efforts, supported by the Capacity Builder, have helped us overcome challenges and achieve ambitious goals. We recently celebrated significant milestones, marking substantial progress. While the work has been challenging, we believe the outcomes will be well worth the effort.
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SOUTHWEST IDAHO BIOGRAPHIES Regions III & IV
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LORI FURGERSON, COORDINATOR
district level leadership in her role as a Capacity Builder.
Lori Furgerson serves as the coordinator
Dana earned her M.A. and Educational Specialist degrees in
for the Idaho Building Capacity Project
Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho. She en-
in Southwest Idaho. She earned her
joys spoiling her grandchildren, traveling to new places, read-
B.A. from California State University, Northridge and her
ing meaningless fiction, and quilting.
M.Ed. from National University in San Diego. She proceeded to work in Title I schools as an elementary school teacher.
LAURI HEWARD, CB
Passionate about the school improvement results she saw
Lauri Heward, Ed.S., has served as a Capacity
in her own classroom, she transitioned to work for several
Builder for the Idaho Building Capacity
years with schools and districts across the nation, providing technical assistance and professional development at the state and local levels. Prior to joining the IBC team in 2012, Lori was a classroom teacher and instructional coach. She has also spent time working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and reservations across the country, as well as with the Department of Defense, supporting the work of school improvement.
Project since July 2017. Lauri’s 35 years of educational experience include teacher, counselor, and 20 years as an alternative school administrator. Advocacy for the “at risk” student led Lauri to promote the expansion of Cassia Education Center, an alternative junior high school, to Cassia Jr/Sr High School. Her work in this endeavor awarded her the honor of Cassia County Teacher of the Year. Her passion for motivating underachieving youth
In her free time Lori loves to watch her boys play basketball,
has driven her to pursue extensive training in restorative
travel with her husband, and overall just enjoy time with her
justice practices, sexual abuse, drug, alcohol, and gang-
family.
related issues.
DANA DEHAAN, CB
Lauri has served on the Mini-Cassia Drug Court Team, Idaho Meth Project, Idaho HIV/STD State Review Panel, and as a
Dana DeHaan has dedicated her career
member of the Department of Juvenile Corrections Custody
to the children and stakeholders of Idaho
Review Board. She holds a B.S. in Education from Brigham
public education. She began her career as
Young University, a M.A. in Counseling with a drug and alcohol
a K-8 teacher in a variety of assignments and moved into
endorsement from College of Idaho, and an Educational
administration at the urging of the supportive administrators
Specialist degree from University of Idaho.
she had the pleasure of working with. She served in several district-level administrative positions before her retirement. She has had experience with developing and implementing successful district and building improvement plans, mentoring building administrators and teachers, and establishing meaningful teacher and administrator evaluation processes. She also has experience with federal programs, K-12 instructional coaching and improvement, grant writing, budgeting, curriculum, and assessment and evaluation processes. After retiring as the curriculum director from the Cassia County School District in 2014, Dana became a member of the Idaho Building Capacity Project. She has enjoyed the relationships she has developed while supporting teachers, principals and
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Lauri enjoys life on the farm, grandkids, camping, quilting, and reading.
TERESA JONES, CB
health education and how they all related. She later served as
Teresa has served the children of Idaho
a K–12 reading specialist, instructional coach, and PLC coach
as an educator for the past 33 years. She was an elementary school teacher and
prior to earning her M.A. in School Administration and serving as a building principal.
then a building administrator for 24 years, serving as an
Amber joined IBC as a commitment to support schools in
elementary principal, a middle school principal, and most
the transformation process as they find solutions to driving
recently as the director of elementary programs for the Twin
higher student achievement. Amber knows that all students
Falls School District. She has enjoyed working in four districts
can learn if the right tools are in place and collectively
and the opportunities to learn from others throughout her
everyone agrees to reject the myths and excuses for low
career. She has experience in creating school improvement
student achievement. Her goal is to build this mindset with
plans and participating in initiatives that have assisted
leaders as they begin to prove this to be true throughout their
the schools she has led to earn awards for improvement
journey with school improvement.
in student achievement. She enjoys working with staff to determine needs and then getting creative in finding ways to make positive change happen. She has experience with standards-based grading and reporting, curriculum pilots and adoptions, professional development, and teacher and administrator evaluation, and has spent much time focusing on literacy instruction. Teresa is a new retiree and is eager to participate in the Idaho Building Capacity Project. She is eager to support educators in their efforts at making improvements to benefit their students. She looks forward to being a support for all school district staff that she will be working with. Teresa earned her B.A., M.Ed., and Educational Specialist degrees from the Univitery of Idaho.
She has two
granddaughters with whom she is eager to spend more time and she enjoys traveling, reading, and finding new adventures.
In Amber’s free time, she enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her family. She has an adventurous spirit and loves to travel and experience new things.
MELODY SMITH, CB Melody Smith taught Language Arts to middle-schoolers for 25 years. She became a Capacity Builders in the fall of 2022 with a focus on ELA and literacy. As an Capacity Builder, she helps educators develop the classroom systems and strategies they need to effectively teach today’s students. Melody earned her B.A. Ed degree from Idaho State University and her Masters of Alternative and At-Risk Education from Marion University. As an educator she served on curriculum alignment teams, was a grade-level team leader, a SIOP coach, a student achievement coordinator, and a student social/academic coach. Her most recent assignment was as an ELA teacher in an alternative education middle school
AMBER PEARSON, CB
where she worked with her team to develop a mastery
Amber Pearson serves as an Idaho Capacity
learning program for their students.
Builder. She invests in strategically working
Melody enjoys reading a good book in the shade, creating
to build proficiencies in meeting or
gifts with her Cricut machine, exploring national parks, and
exceeding each school’s mission and vision while assuring
celebrating holidays with her family.
the work is continuous, sustainable, and effective. A Washington State University graduate, she started her career in the elementary classroom.
She furthered her
experiences to better understand effective intervention programs for struggling students, character education, and
JEFF TURNER, CB Jeff Turner joins the Idaho Building Capacity Project for Region 3 this year. He brings 28 years of varied experience as a classroom
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teacher, coach, as well as a site and district administrator to
educator effectiveness, Response to Intervention, collaborative
the work of supporting educational leaders in their mission to
learning, and family and community engagement.
improve and sustain increased student achievement.
Tammy enjoys spending time with her family, reading,
Jeff’s heart is to build and support effective and collaborative
gardening, and watching college football and basketball.
teams while simultaneously enhancing leadership capacity in
EARNIE LEWI
each member to achieve student and school success. He has worked with school teams, coached principals, and led districts through the Program Improvement process, which focuses on collecting and analyzing school data, identifying patterns and trends, strengthening and/or implementing strategic, researchproven practices, and supporting staff with differentiated professional resources. During the course of his educational career, his collaborative and relational approach has been well received by many of his colleagues. He is known to “roll up his sleeves” and work alongside educators to accomplish the challenging work of helping all students achieve. Jeff earned his B.A. in Elementary Education from Idaho State University and his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Northwest Nazarene University. He looks forward to the work ahead with Idaho school districts.
TAMMY YOUNG, CB Tammy Young has served as a Capacity Builder with the Idaho Building Capacity Project since 2014 and is currently focusing on K-3 instructional support. In this role, she supports administrators and teachers in the implementation of effective leadership and instructional systems and practices. Tammy earned her B.S. degree from the University of Idaho. Her career began as an elementary school teacher and grew over time to include instructional and leadership coaching. She has had extensive training in coaching practices. Tammy is also a 6+1 Traits of Writing Trainer, is Teachscape certified, and has had extensive training in developing Professional Learning Communities. Just prior to becoming a Capacity Builder, Tammy was honored as her school’s Educator of the Year and one of Boise State University’s Mentors of the Year. Throughout her career, Tammy has served on many state committees and district leadership teams to approve curriculum and to develop educational reforms such as
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SOUTHEAST TESTIMONIALS Regions V & VI Hawthorne Middle School Pocatello Chubbuck District #025 The IBC Project’s Capacity Builder working with Hawthorne Middle School has been instrumental in helping our teachers analyze ISAT data, look at target data reports, and set goals. At the beginning of last school year, the Capacity Builder reached out and attended staff meetings, and introduced themself to all the teachers. Our Capacity Builder attended PLC meetings with groups of teachers to assist them in using the interim assessments and even offered to help administer the assessment! The Capacity Builder modeled how to use the interim assessments formatively in the classroom so the data could be used to make instructional decisions and also helped proctor ISATs in the spring. Specifically our CB worked with our SPED teachers to help them identify ways they could improve ISAT scores for their students with special needs. It felt like our Capacity Builder was part of our staff, and the teachers (and administration!) trusted them and relied on their expertise all throughout the year. When the Capacity Builder offered to assist us again this year, I was thrilled! I wish we could have our Capacity Builder here at Hawthorne every year! -Dr. Heidi Kessler, Principal
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Independence Alternative High School Blackfoot District #055 Independence Alternative High Schools success since 2022: ELA proficiency increased 4.4% Chronic Absenteeism decreased 5% Grad rate increased 22.1% Blackfoot schools began participating in the IBC Project during the 2012-2013 school year. At that time the district and all schools created leadership teams. In the beginning almost all schools worked with a Capacity Builder. Currently, only two schools in the district are still part of the IBC Project due to incorporating leadership teams and improvement plans. The district has approved and monitored school improvement plans using state-approved templates. The district leadership team sets goals and building leadership teams align their goals with the district goals. Because of the alignment, the district is seeing improvements in academic achievement and consistent rates of improvement. Even though we don’t have Capacity Builders at all schools, a district Capacity Builder participates on the district leadership team by advising and coaching the creation and implementation of comprehensive SWIP plans. Having both a district Capacity Builder and building Capacity Builders has positively impacted the district’s overall improvement efforts even during the COVID pandemic. The additional level of accountability created through the IBC Project has built a level of sustainability that will forever impact student performance. The next area that the IBC Project has significantly affected the district is through professional development and the support of teachers. Numerous times our Capacity Builder has provided relevant PD that supports improvement on statewide assessments. Districts would not have been able to afford this timely PD. The teachers and administrators really rely on the expertise of the Capacity Builder because they are not evaluative. They truly are a safe resource that both entities value. Technical assistance in building the district’s capacity to sustain consistent growth has been proven through our steady increase in test scores. Due to the location of Blackfoot School District in southeast Idaho, it is sometimes difficult to stay on top of education issues that arise. Participation in the IBC Project provides us a way to receive information from the State Department of Education that allows us to stay abreast of the latest initiatives. Capacity Builders are experienced educators who can share their knowledge from years of experience. This has been a huge advantage for navigating difficult situations, whether it be discipline, dealing with staff, and handling public concerns. Capacity Builders help to analyze data and give an additional perspective regarding student achievement. They are very knowledgeable about data mining, data interpretation, and how to create data-driven decisions. Finally, state reporting can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Our district Capacity Builder is a valuable resource and member of the district leadership team who helps guide our team through the reporting process as well as support for grant writing and locating additional resources to support student achievement.
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- Joy Mickelsen, Federal Programs Director/Grant Writer
Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy, Inc #483 Chief Tahgee Elementary Successes since 2022: Increased ELA growth by 2.3% Increased Math growth by 17.4% No longer identified for ATSI/TSI Identification Before IBC, Chief Taghee did not have a Leadership team. This year efforts have been made to develop a high functioning leadership team. We meet every other Thursday after school, and the team is really developing. We have been working on PLC meetings every other Friday with a data focus, plus we are doing a book study this year as well, on those Fridays. We have PD in-service twice a month on Fridays. We started Walk to Intervention two days a week for thirty minutes each for ELA and Math. We have been diving into the data to be very explicit on the specific skills covered in each group. We also adopted a new math and ELA curriculum this year to focus on tier one explicit instruction. We are focused on lesson plans as well as walk-throughs. We are seeing the positive impacts due to these efforts, not only in test scores but overall school climate. The CB has been a great asset in teaching and learning as our ELA coach. We focus as a school on our SWIP goals and everyone has been on board to learn and grow. Last spring iStation scores grew 7% in math and 3% in reading. We are working on the testing environment and practice specifically with our interventions. We do ISAT interims once a week and focus on our target goal data. For Family engagement we have started Shoshoni nights and scheduled activities throughout the year. Much work is being done and continued efforts with consistency as well as open communication. Overall, having a Capacity Builder has significantly contributed to the success and had a positive impact on faculty, staff, and Administrators in CTEA’s SWIP improvement efforts. The CB provides guidance, resources, and support that are essential for professional growth and the overall improvement of educational practices. The CB facilitates professional development opportunities for our faculty, staff and Administrators. Our CB has held workshops, training sessions, and programs (e.g., a school wide Walk to Intervention so all of our students get daily interventions). The CB provides tailored support to individual educators and teams (e.g, PLCs). The CB also has helped all of us understand our data and to help with data-driven decision making. The CB provides guidance, feedback, and support in implementing best practices and strategies for improvement. The CB also helped us to smoothly implement new curriculums (ELA) and (Math). Most importantly, the CB has helped us instill a culture of continuous improvement. The CB encourages faculty and staff to embrace lifelong learning and self-reflection as integral components of professional growth. Ultimately, the impact of the IBC Project has had on faculty and staff improvement efforts positively affects student success. Last year each classroom’s scores improved and we look forward to even more improvement in Math and ELA. -Jessica M. Wilson, Ed.S, NCSP, Director of School Programs & Cyd A. Crue, Ph.D., Assistant Director/Principal
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William Thomas Middle School American Falls Joint District #381 William Thomas Middle School since 2022: ELA proficiency increased 6% ELA growth of 5.3% Math proficiency increased 2.3% Math growth of 6.2% Chronic Absenteeism decreased by 2.8% No longer indentified for 4 out of 4 ATSI/TSI Identifications With the support of the IBC Project and our amazing Capacity Builders, William Thomas Middle School is “Raising the Bar” this year for our students. In our first year of the program in 2022-2023, we were able to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, expand our leadership team, visit schools with similar demographics and intervention programs, participate in some germane professional development, and begin some long-needed curriculum mapping and alignment. At the culmination of last year, the leadership team unveiled a new parent communication system and bell schedule. This bell schedule features increased instructional time, a daily school-wide independent reading block, and a new student accountability and intervention period known as WIN (What I Need) Time. This year, we are closely studying data relating to the implementation of this new schedule, and the early returns are looking great! Moreover, the curriculum mapping process we began is expanding throughout the district, and we are implementing Go-To Strategies to better serve our ELL population. It is clear that meaningful change has come to WTMS, and we could not have done any of this without the help of the IBC Project. ~ Tyler Shafer, Prinicpal
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SOUTHEAST IDAHO BIOGRAPHIES Regions V & VI
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BRYAN JOLLEY, COORDINATOR
As principal of Dora Erickson Elementary in Idaho Falls, she
Dr. Bryan Jolley serves as the coordinator
led the development of changes that improved student
for the Idaho Building Capacity Project in Southeast Idaho. Bryan is an Idaho native who grew up in Southeast Idaho. Bryan’s educational background includes B.A., M.A., and Ed. Specialist degrees,
learning. Val was instrumental in organizing an academic after-school program that raised student achievement scores. She served on the boards of CASA and Foster Grandparents and engaged with numerous other community
as well as his Ed.D from Idaho State University. He is a true
groups.
Bengal! He is happy to be able to partner with school and
Val completed work on her B.A. in Education at Panhandle
district leadership to create sustainable, collaborative, data-
State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma. She earned both
driven systems that promote student achievement.
her B.A. and M.A. in Education from Idaho State University.
Bryan has over 36 years in public education. He worked
Being part of the Idaho Building Capacity Project has
three years as a social studies teacher and one year as principal at Raft River High School in Cassia County School District. He then moved to the Snake River School District, where he worked for 18 years as the Snake River Jr. High principal. Bryan also worked as the director of testing,
allowed her to continue using her experience and passion for education to promote lifelong learning. Her two favorite pastimes are gardening and baking.
ROSE HENDRICKS, CB
technology, and secondary education for the Snake River
Rose Hendricks is passionate about
School District during that time. He accepted the position
evidence-based, engaging, purposeful, and
as superintendent for the Shelley School District in 2005. He
authentic instructional practices. While
retired from that position after serving for 14 years in 2019. Bryan enjoys spending his free time doing outdoor activities, which include jeep rides, dirt bike riding, ATV rides, mountain biking, hunting and fishing, as well as playing the piano, and spending time with his wife, Tamera, and family, which includes eight children, and 17 grandchildren.
VAL COPYAK, CB Val Copyak joined the Idaho Building Capacity Project in 2016. In her role as a Capacity Builder, she serves local education systems by building the capacity of school administrators, leadership teams, and the community.
in undergraduate school, Rose had the opportunity to teach art classes for inmates at a prison in rural Iowa. This experience inspired her to pursue a career in education. In her 15 years in education, Rose taught Spanish to K-12 and adult students, middle school ELA, and high school social studies, before becoming a coach. These adventures took her from Vermont to the beautiful Teton Valley, via South America, where she lived and volunteered in schools for a year before pursuing her Masters in Education. When she steps away from coaching, Rose treasures adventures in the mountains, and around the globe, with her husband, two young sons, and dear friends. She is passionate about supporting her local community and serves on the Board of Directors for the Education Foundation of Teton
During her long career, Val has focused on advocating
Valley. Rose plays fiddle in several bands and is a voracious
for students and educators. She mentored numerous
reader. She plays the cello and gardens poorly, but she tries
successful student teachers at elementary and middle
her best to practice a growth mindset.
school levels. Val provided leadership in areas that include curriculum adoption and implementation, policy changes, and community involvement. She’s worked at implementing change at the state and national levels as president of the Bonneville Teachers’ Association.
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As a lifelong learner, a teacher, and a coach, Rose sees education as an invitation to grow and connect, enrich the experience of being human, and be of service to others. It is her privilege and passion to work in service of educators and students in Southeast Idaho.
KATHY LURAS, CB
in Idaho Falls. She also served as an assistant principal at
Kathy Luras has been an educator for 33
both the high school and junior high levels. She participated
years. She spent her first 18 years as a Title I and Reading Recovery teacher as well as a district ELA Instructional Coach. She has been a district
on committees and leadership teams to develop strategies for improving student achievement through assessment literacy, Response to Intervention, educator evaluation, mentoring,
administrator for the past fifteen years, serving as a Curriculum
accreditation, and stategic planning.
and Assessment Coordinator. Ms. Luras has also served as an
Kay spends her free time reading, traveling, and cooking with
adjunct professor at ISU teaching the Curriculum, Instruction,
her friends and family.
and Assessment course as part of the M.Ed. in Educational Administration program.
RICH MOORE, CB
Ms. Luras’ vision is to ensure every learner has equitable ac-
Rich Moore has served 41 years in a wide
cess to research and standards-based instructional materials
variety of positions in the field of education.
aligned to written curriculum that is taught by highly effective
He recently retired as the
teachers. She is excited to support teachers and administra-
superintendent of the Oneida School District and is excited
tors across Region 5.
to serve as a Capacity Builder for the IBC Project. He has
Ms. Luras earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education in 1990 and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration in 2007. In her free time, Kathy enjoys spending time with family including her three grandsons and two Yorkies. She also loves spending time in Island Park biking, boating, and reading.
also served as superintendent in Livingston, Montana, and assistant superintendent in the Ogden City School District in Utah. Other positions he has held are area director, K-12 curriculum director, federal programs director, and classroom teacher. He has received the following degrees: B.S. from Weber State University, and Master’s and Ph.D. from Utah State University.
KAY MOOR, CB As a Capacity Builder for the Idaho Building Capacity Project, Kay Moor works collaboratively with school and district administrators, leadership teams, and teachers to implement improvement strategies. She holds a Master’s of Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and an Educational Specialist degree from Idaho State University.
She is
enthusiastic about the opportunity to support the Idaho State Department of Education, districts, and schools through the IBC Project.
He has also received endorsements in Gifted and Talented Education, English as a Second Language, and in Reading. He has also served with the consultant company Innovations, a company that works to improve school performance in five western states. He also served as a Utah State Department of Education Title I support service, working with low-performing schools and the Navajo Nation schools. He served 10 years as a principal of 100% poverty/majority minority schools. In his down time he enjoys hiking, pickleball, fishing and hunting.
Kay began her career as a junior high and high school English
ANNE SEIFERT,CB
teacher. Her current work has focused on educational
Anne Seifert serves with the Idaho Building
leadership, and she received the 2017 Distinguished Service
Capacity Project, working collaboratively
Award from the Idaho Association of School Administrators. Her background has included a K-12 emphasis on organizational
effectiveness,
change
strategies,
group
dynamics, and data utilization. Before joining IBC, Kay was principal of Sunnyside Elementary
with school administrators, leadership teams, and teachers to implement school improvement processes to enhance
student achievement. Strengthening school
improvement, enhancing teacher instructional skills, and improving student achievement are passions of Anne’s and
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she is honored to serve dedicated Idaho educators. Anne received a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from the University of Idaho. She completed a M.A. in Education Administration and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership at Idaho State University. As a 30-year educator with another 10 years in K-12 STEM statewide leadership, Anne brings over 40 years of experience and passion serving as a highly skilled and outstanding elementary school teacher and administrator in Idaho Falls. As the K-12 STEM Manager at the Idaho National Laboratory, she brought STEM resources to K-12 educators and students across the state. Her background has included organizational effectiveness, assessment literacy, and standards development. Anne believes that educators, empowered with the right resources and high-quality professional development, can and will positively impact students, inspiring them to advance their studies and develop a desire to engage in life-long learning. Anne was raised in Southeast Idaho and enjoys many regional activities with her family.
JODI TOGIAI,CB Jodi Togiai began working with the Idaho Capacity Builders in 2021. She supports schools through leadership teams with a focus on data to drive instruction. She has been an educator for 29 years. She loves all parts of education, especially problem solving, and has grown with each new assignment. She has worked in Idaho all of her career, which began in secondary and now includes working with all grade levels. Jodi earned her M.Ed. in 2002 from Grand Canyon University. Her goals in this new role include supporting schools in student growth, team building through productive PLC’s, and purposeful professional development. Jodi’s educational background includes many roles for district mentorship and responsibilities, such as classroom teacher for 20 years, instructional coach eight years, interventionist for all grade levels, curriculum director and tech specialist, RTI/ MTSS specialist, professional development director, Danielson Framework Certified, mentor teacher for graduate students becoming teachers, professional trainer, educational consultant
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and Capacity Builder. Jodi’s leadership skills also included many extra curricular activities and she coached several sports for 18 years. Jodi has served and presented on many state and district leadership teams to develop educational reforms such as Instructional Coaching, Formative Assessment, Response to Intervention, and Family and Community Engagement. Jodi’s favorite things to do during time off is to learn new things, travel, and spend time with her family.
DAVE WHEAT, CB Dave Wheat is a Capacity Builder with the Idaho Building Capacity Project. He began his work as a Capacity Builder in 2015, and since he has been assisting schools in the Southwest regions of the state with school improvement efforts. Dave, an Idaho State University graduate, began his career as an elementary school teacher in the Marsh Valley School District. After obtaining a M.Ed. degree from the University of Idaho and an Ed.S. degree in Educational Administration, he began 33 years as a school administrator. He worked as an elementary school principal, middle school principal, and high school principal as well as a director of special education and federal programs. After a career in public education, Dave jumped at the chance to continue working in education and helping school administrators and leadership teams. In this capacity, he helps schools develop or improve multi-tiered systems of support and professional learning communities as they examine data to improve student achievement. Dave enjoys spending time with his children and granddaughter, as well as camping, reading, and dutch oven cooking.
SUSTAINABILITY COHORT I - TOP PERFORMERS MATH PROFICIENCY
ELA PROFICIENCY
Based on the ISDE ISAT Report Cards from 2023.
IDAHO BUILDING CAPACITY AT A GLANCE 2023
61%
Sixty-one percent of IBC schools increased MATH proficiency in one year
Fifty-five percent of IBC schools increased MATH growth in one year
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Based on the ISDE ISAT Report Cards from 2022 to 2023, IBC schools have shown growth. Data above captures schools with over 5% growth since joining Cohort 2 in November of 2022.
55%
PROJECT 35%
Thirty-five percent of IBC schools increased ELA proficiency in one year
Forty-one percent of IBC schools increased ELA growth in one year
Based on the ISDE ISAT Report Cards from 2022 to 2023, IBC schools have shown growth. Data above captures schools with over 5% growth since joining Cohort 2 in November of 2022.
41%
37
IDAHO BUILDING CAPACITY AT A GLANCE 2023
68%
Sixty-eight percent of IBC schools decreased chronic absenteeism in one year
Sixty-four percent of IBC schools increased or met the graduation rate in one year
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Based on the ISDE ISAT Report Cards from 2022 to 2023, IBC schools have shown growth. Data above captures schools with over 5% growth since joining Cohort 2 in November of 2022.
64%
PROJECT 4 IBC schools exited ALL TSI/ATSI Identifications Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy Dora Erickson Elementary School West Minico Middle School William Thomas Middle School
4 IBC schools exited one or more TSI/ATSI Identifications East Valley Middle School Jefferson Middle School Kuna Middle School South Hills Middle School 39
IBC SCHOOLS COMPARED TO IDAHO SCHOOLS Math Proficiency
IBC schools increased MATH proficiency in one year by one percent as compared to the state average of a one percent decrease.
IBC schools had a MATH growth of two percent in one year as compared to the state average of a five percent decrease.
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Math Growth
IBC SCHOOLS COMPARED TO IDAHO SCHOOLS ELA Proficiency
The Idaho State average for ELA proficiency decreased by three percent, as compared to IBC schools that decreased by one percent.
The Idaho State average for ELA growth decreased by seven percent, as compared to IBC schools with a decrease of three percent.
ELA Growth
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IBC SCHOOLS COMPARED TO IDAHO SCHOOLS Chronic Absenteeism
IBC schools decreased chronic absenteeism by five percent in one year, as compared to the state average decrease of four percent.
IBC schools increased the graduation rate on average by three percent in one year as compared to the state average that was less than one percent.
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Graduation Rate
THANK YOU We appreciate the opportunity to share this brochure, which allows us to honor and recognize the progress, successes, and celebrations of our IBC sites, leadership teams, and school communities. Our brochure highlights the foundational focuses of our project, the IBC goals, and testimonials about the positive connections and strong partnerships between our Capacity Builders and their school and district sites. During these challenging times, we have continued to reflect deeply, be innovative, maintain trust with those we work alongside, and provide the necessary coaching and support for schools and students to achieve. The Idaho Building Capacity Project has developed a model of supporting our schools to build systems, structures, and the capacity to engage in the process of ongoing and continuous improvement. A sense of urgency, a “no excuses” atmosphere, and a relentless focus on leading, teaching, and learning is evident in our IBC districts and schools. This journey can be defined by their determination, their courage, and their unwavering commitment to promote the learning outcomes of all of their students. Our goals align with the State Department of Education’s mission and the guiding principles of the Statewide Technical Assistance Team. Together we are always managing for change, “raising the bar,” and then providing the resources, the support, the modeling, and the encouragement that allows our schools to effectively deal with change, challenges, and new standards. Student learning and success is at the heart of our mission and at our IBC districts and schools we have much to celebrate!
LEADERSHIP IS NOT A SOLO ACT; IT’S A TEAM PERFORMANCE. – Robert J. Marzano
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2023-24
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