TEXHOMA, TX, UNITED STATES, January 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Success for All (SFA) Foundation, honored Texhoma Elementary School with the 2025 Dr. Robert Slavin Award for their impressive student learning achievements, which includes a 100% pass rate on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading and Language Arts exam just eight years after being identified as an “Improvement Required” school.

Located in a rural farming and agribusiness community on the border of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, approximately 40% of students at Texhoma Elementary - a Title I school - are English language learners. In addition to their 100% STAAR exam pass rate, Texhoma Elementary also boasts a 97.5% daily attendance rate and a 100% participation rate at parent-teacher conferences. A testament to the engaging, joyful learning environment Texhoma Elementary has created for their teachers, students, and families.

Superintendent Kayla Yates and Curriculum Director Missy Cartwright give credit to everyone but themselves. “We have the most dedicated teachers, students, and families and Success for All helps shine a light on just how amazing they are.”

Like many schools, Texhoma Elementary was drawn to Success for All because of its science of reading based approach to literacy and proven results helping schools achieve immediate and lasting gains. However, the impact of SFA on far more than just literacy rates became quickly apparent. “SFA doesn’t just bring children further along in their learning, it also gives teachers - regardless of where they are in their career or what subject they teach - a solid instructional foundation to become the best educator they can be.”

Built on proven, evidenced-based research, Success for All integrates the critical components of education - leadership, instruction, learning, and family involvement - into a cohesive system with a clear roadmap and an expert coach to ensure effective implementation. “Success for All is really a complete system for achieving lasting school improvement,” said Mrs. Yates. “It brings focus and intention to our daily work as educators and strengthens our capacity to address critical challenges, build a positive, inclusive learning culture, and unlock exceptional teaching.”

At the classroom level, specifically for literacy instruction, teachers at Texhoma Elementary administer assessments and review data to gauge student progress regularly. “Teachers know immediately when the class is ready to move on, when they need to re-teach, or when students need extra support.” The data also informs professional development needs.

But it isn’t just the leaders and teachers who use data - students do, too.

“Our teachers build incredible relationships with their students, allowing them to have very honest conversations about opportunities for growth. There’s both encouragement and expectation in those conversations, and while the teacher is masterful at guiding the conversation, the student takes the lead in setting their own goals,” said Ms. Cartwright.

And, at Texhoma Elementary, students don’t just set goals, they reach them. According to Mrs. Yates, “The structured approach of SFA helps kids turn their goals into manageable steps, reducing overwhelm and motivating them to keep going.” SFAs intentional focus on building social-emotional competencies through its Getting Along Together curriculum plays a critical role here, too. “We aren’t just equipping children to succeed at academics, but throughout their life,” says Mrs. Cartwright.

In addition to its powerful instructional model, proven science of reading-based approach, and social emotional competency development, Mrs. Yates and Mrs. Cartwright cite these SFA components as difference-makers in their students’ success, too:
● Grouping by skill level, rather than grade level. “Grouping by skill level, rather than grade level, has been a game changer,” said Mrs. Cartwright. ”Not only do we notice significant growth among students, but behavior problems disappear.” Mrs. Yates added, “Skill level grouping also distributes the responsibility for success throughout the school. Teachers aren’t responsible for the success of a grade level, they're responsible for the success of their kids.”
● Cooperative learning. When students work with other students at the same skill level, and have the built-in, structured opportunities to share, reflect, analyze, and question what they’ve learned with each other, learning deepens. “When every student is included in reading the question, restating it, answering it, adding to it, that’s when real connection and growth occur.”

While Texhoma Elementary’s success doesn’t surprise these leaders, they’re thrilled for the recognition. “This award validates the hard work of our teachers and paraprofessionals and their dedication to SFA and our kids. Success doesn’t just happen - there’s so much work that goes into it.”

Mrs. Yates and Mrs. Cartwright also recognized the important contributions of others. “We’re so grateful for the continuous support of our board and our previous administrator, Kathy Yates, who brought SFA to Texhoma and held us to high standards of accountability and implementation. Our results prove that this model works and that Success for All really means success for all.”

Additionally, Texhoma leaders acknowledged the expertise of their SFA coaches - Angela Davis and Gloria Villarreal. “Their instructional and leadership expertise is invaluable. They’ve kept us moving forward.”

What’s next for Texhoma Elementary? “We’re always setting goals and the National Blue Ribbon Award is next,” said Mrs. Yates, without hesitation.
We have every reason - and plenty of evidence - to believe them.

About Success for All Foundation

A leader in the science of reading-based approach to literacy and proven instructional models informed by cognitive-science research on how students learn, Success for All has helped thousands of low-achieving schools transform into high-performing, joyful learning communities that work for all children from every background.

Maureen Mirabito
Success for All Foundation
+1 410-616-2300
mmirabito@successforall.org

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