By Mark Tallman

My final stop among six high-performing districts was Twin Valley USD 240, which serves several small communities north of Salina. Twin Valley’s five-year postsecondary effective rate for 2015-2020 was 61%, or 7.6% higher than predicted, and from 2017 to 2022, its graduation rate increased by 9.5%, or 8.6% more than predicted based on enrollment and high-needs students. 

With KASB Leadership Services Field Specialists Gary Sechrist and Marcia Weseman, we visited with school board president Juanita Morris and superintendent Pam Irwin at the district office, where leaders credited much of their success to participation in the State Board of Education’s School Redesign Project, an effort to encourage schools to consider significant changes in how they operate to get significant changes in student outcomes. 

Although Irwin was not in her current role when Twin Valley became part of the initial “Mercury” schools (each round of participating schools was named after various stages in the American space program leading to the moon landing) and the formal program has ended, she says the benefits continue. “I do think the focus on individual students that came out of redesign, is really important. We've done a pretty good job and continue to do a pretty good job with that. Our counselors do a fantastic job working with our students on an individual basis to make sure that they get the courses they need to get where they want to go next.” 

Board President Morris praised efforts to build deeper relationships between students and teachers by pairing them as mentors that stayed the same from seventh grade through senior year. “It became more than just a pupil-teacher relationship. It became, I saw you play in the game Friday. How are your brothers and sisters? What are you thinking about after high school?” she said. “I've heard seniors say, you helped me make these decisions. I don't know that it's so much the teachers helped them make the decisions as that the teachers made sure they, the students, made those decisions. Do you need to go get a four-year degree or do you need to go to a trade school? Did the paperwork get turned in? It's helping students navigate.” 

The redesign process also forced the school board – and staff – to take a much deeper look at data. When Irwin came to the district, Morris said her information was almost overwhelming. “But I think over the four years, now we get exactly what we ought to see, and it is outcomes based. She presents how our students tested, where they're at, ideas about where we need to go and what we need to do.” Both praised the school board’s willingness to use data, embrace change as needed, and help keep parents informed and supportive – and to make changes as necessary. 

Twin Valley’s somewhat unusual structure is two buildings, from preschool to high school. We moved to the Bennington facility, where we met with Principal Shane Clark, English teacher Anissa Bigler, and two students, Jaxon Lovendahl and Kristin Gans. We completed the day at the Tescott K-12 building, meeting with Principal Curt Graves and English/Spanish teacher Monica Farrell, and with students Danika Pasley and Sarai Glaser. 

All students and educators praised the strong advisory and mentoring system, which allows teachers and students to build long-term relationships supporting academic and postsecondary planning. Students Lovendahl and Gans both plan to attend college but aren’t sure of their majors. They say the school has helped them understand their options while having concerns about transitioning from a small high school with strong individualized support to a much larger college campus. 

In response, Bennington principal Clark says the school is working to develop a class focusing on the transition from school to college and careers. “I think we give them the academic background. But we want to focus more on that transition piece so that as they leave, we can help address a lot of these fears. So that's coming.” 

Students Pasley and Glaser have already completed certified nursing assistant programs while in high school, allowing them to begin employment in that field and additional educational options. The district has strongly committed to concurrent and dual enrollment opportunities with multiple postsecondary institutions. 

The district has also increased its support for student mental health issues. It is part of the state Mental Health Intervention Team program, which has added two licensed social workers and a position to support social and emotional learning. “When kids are struggling, we can quickly find out and provide help.” 

Bright Idea: With all grade levels in the same building in each of the two communities in the district, both schools say there are advantages to having all K-12 together. High school students work as teacher aides for lower grades. Seniors do a “graduation walk” through the elementary rooms. As Tescott principal Graves explained, “Our pep assemblies are for all grades, organized by our student council. Our kids mix in the mornings, so if you walk in my cafeteria, there's not a high school breakfast and an elementary breakfast. At any time, you will see any of these young ladies (meeting with us) or someone else just walking with our littles to the cafeteria, helping them with their trays. It is a very relational family atmosphere here. That our littles get connected to our high school students and to get connected to our staff, that then we have these relationships that build and that that grows and becomes your culture in the building.” 

District Profile: Twin Valley’s 545.5 student enrollment is near the bottom of the 500 to 1,600 student group. Its 64.1% low-income and students with disabilities percent is slightly below the state average. But Twin Valley’s five-year average postsecondary effective rate of 61% is 7.6% higher than predicted based on enrollment and high-needs students, and from 2017 to 2022, its graduation rate increased by 9.5%, or 8.6% more than predicted. (Twin Valley 2022 state assessment results were 4.3% higher than predicted, its 2017-2022 change in test results was 4.5% higher than predicted, and its 2022 graduation rate was 1.6% higher than predicted.)