By Mark Tallman

“The teachers I know in high school have just made more of an intentional effort to use our data to see where their student weaknesses are and respond. That makes a huge difference.” - Riverside High School Counselor Shelly Vertin.

You can’t get any farther into northeast Kansas than Riverside USD 114, a cookie-cutter-shaped school district bounded on the north, east, and south by the Missouri River, which cuts off the state’s northeast corner.

In past decades the district has faced catastrophic flooding, consolidation of districts in Elwood and Wathena, and many of the common challenges of rural communities. Out of about 580 students, the percentage of students from low-income families plus students with disabilities is over 76 percent, well above the 62 percent average of districts in their enrollment range.

But Riverside is exceeding expectations in multiple ways. Between 2017 and 2022, the district had some of the highest gains on reading and math assessments in the state. Their performance was 6.2 percent better than projected based on demographics. Riverside’s 2022 graduation rate of 93.6 percent was 3.6 percent higher than projected, and an 8.6 percent increase from 2017.

To find out how Riverside is getting those results, I met with some of their teachers, support staff, and leaders. One thing they attribute their success to is a decision eight years ago to get assistance from the Kansas Technical Assistance Systems Network (TASN), a support system funded by the Kansas Department of Education’s Special Education and Title Services area. A key feature of TASN is helping districts implement Multi-Tier Systems of Support to identify students who need additional assistance and provide individualized intervention.

“We started working with TASN and with the MTSS process because we wanted to improve our results,” said Riverside Primary School Principal Khris Haedt. “We got the training TASN provides. We bought a new reading series. We started working on interventions for children. That's made a huge difference. Through assessment, we can figure out what is really needed and respond, so it's much more individualized.”

Superintendent Jennifer Gatz noted that MTSS is often viewed as a pyramid of three tiers of students: those succeeding in the general classroom, a smaller number needing some additional individualized attention, and finally, even fewer needing additional services like special education. “But to be really effective, you need strong building leadership, understanding how to work with your data, professional learning, and implementation of your curriculum,” she said. “TASN helped build our capacity for those other things.”

A challenge of providing more individualized instruction is that it takes more staff. Riverside was able to hire two reading specialists to provide additional help. One hiring advantage, they say, is their proximity to St. Joseph, Missouri, just across the river, where there is a pool of retired teachers available to come work in Kansas.

Another success factor was the Kansas State Department of Education required a reading program that supports “structured literacy” and “science of reading” methods.  Leaders also stressed the role of the district’s teachers. “All of the stuff we told you about wouldn't have happened without our teachers,” said Haedt. Teachers I talked to praised their colleagues, noting that change isn’t easy, even with the goal of improving results. The key was working together and seeing success. “They saw that it made for a more positive environment when kids weren't struggling as much. The classroom was a little calmer,” said first-grade teacher Denise O’Bryan. “I think they saw the support that they could get if they had questions, and we had lots of questions!”

Another big help came from the district’s early childhood program. With a mixture of state preschool funding and district support, any four-year-old can attend. Leaders say that quality preschool prepares students for success.

At the high school, Riverside educators stressed the importance of giving students options in school and working with parents to expand awareness of options after high school. This includes scheduling that allows students to take more courses, 15 career technical education pathway programs, and college courses through a partnership with Highland Community College.

Riverside also operates an alternative school that gives students a chance to learn in a different environment. Principal Lynn Laipple says the school’s small numbers allow students who might otherwise struggle the ability to focus and thrive.

Another important emphasis has been working with parents. “Sometimes parents don’t know what technical school or college requires or could mean for their students,” said social worker Tyler Herbster. “We want to make sure they know what their kids can accomplish, what it takes to get prepared.”

Like every school I’ve visited, Riverside educators say their students are dealing with increasing mental health and other non-academic issues. Here, too, they stressed a positive relationship with parents for things like getting students needed services and helping the schools understand the challenges students are facing.

Leaders also credited part of their success to maintaining expectations during the pandemic of online learning and rebounding as quickly as possible. Finally, they noted that the district has been able to keep class sizes manageable and retain an experienced staff that focuses on student needs.