By Mark Tallman

“Test scores are important, but I think one of the most important things that we do in the school is care about our kids. It’s also about how to be a good person, who does the right thing because it's the right thing, and looking at helping others in need. And, you know, it's so much bigger than just academic.” - Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle School Principal Amy Beck

Nemaha Central USD 115 has some of the top academic results in the state. The northeast Kansas district has around 610 students. The total percentage eligible for free and reduced-price meals was about 25 percent below the average of districts in its enrollment range. But Nemaha Central significantly exceeds the predicted performance even for a district with that percentage of high-need students.

In 2022 state reading and math assessment rates were 9 percent higher than projected based on demographics. From 2017 to 2022, Nemaha Central’s scores increased and exceeded the predicted rate by over 8 percent. Their postsecondary success rate averaged 74 percent from 2015 to 2020, one of the highest in the state and 9.9 percent higher than predicted. From 2017 to 2022, the district increased its graduation rate by 6.5 percent to 97 percent, well above the state average.

I met with a group of administrators, teachers, counselors, and parents to find out why Nemaha Central has been outperforming expectations. They all agreed that there is something different about the community expectation for achievement, and it drives them to improve.

Those improvement efforts include all of the State Board of Education’s Kansans Can strategies and goals. “We were doing universal preschool before it was even cool,” said Beck. It is available to anyone in the district and about 95 percent attend. “I seriously don't know how our district could get these results without it,” she said.

The district supports academic achievement by frequent monitoring of data. It has embraced the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) concept, which works to identify students who need additional help and provide individualized support. 

Leaders credit the Student Intervention Team made up of the principal, school psychologist, classroom teachers, and parents. They meet to plan responses to students with the highest needs. “The purpose (of the team) is catching kids before they're so far behind that we can't get them back,” said Intervention Specialist Tamela Becker. 

Although the district has relatively high and improving test scores, Nemaha Central educators say they have changed their philosophy about state assessments. It’s not the test scores themselves that are important, they stressed, but making sure that students are learning the academic content that is expected, and that students feel valued, connected, and see the relevance of school. Connecting students to their community and fostering non-academic personal and interpersonal skills have been a key part of Kansans Can.

Leaders say they are making progress on other Kansans Can goals by focusing on the specific needs of students. These goals include increased graduation rates, preparing students to earn a postsecondary credential, and preparing for postsecondary success through individual plans of study.

“I think it's giving kids options,” said Nemaha Central High School Principal Ben Scism. “We also have to help them see the connection, not just to go sit in this class because it’s required, but how does it fit with what you want to do.”

In recent years, the district has strengthened its partnership with Highland Community College to expand dual and concurrent courses and offer them at no charge. The district also offers 12 career technical education pathways and has boosted the number of students earning technical certificates. 

“The average student who’s not going to go to a four-year college is probably going to look to get an associate's or some form of certification,” said Nemaha Central High School Assistant Principal Kelly Williams. “These are all opportunities built within our curriculum.” 

Leaders also credit high expectations. “If you want an A, you have to do better than 90 percent,” said Superintendent Tavis Desormiers. “We get some pushback, but we want to set the expectations a little higher for our kids.”

“Our scores have always been relatively really good. But we had a desire to still get better,” said Jessica Koch, Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle School Assistant Principal. “So, we joined the State Department of Education’s TASN (Technical Assistance System Network) process. Leaders also praised the collaboration between all teachers. “I think we're like a well-oiled machine at this point,” said Becker. “From preschool through high school.” 

Parents I met with also agreed there is something special about the district’s culture. Kandy Haverkamp, whose family moved in from another district praised how educators were both challenging and welcoming and treated her children as individuals. Leah Hermesh praised the district’s leadership for seeking the intangible qualities in staff to keep pushing for improvement.
“If you want to improve, you can’t be satisfied,” said Beck. “If you're satisfied, you're never going to be great. We want to keep getting better.”