At the start of the school year at Riley Elementary, students visited several learning stations as they became familiar with their school.
Principal JoAnn Blevins called these learning stops “Expectation Stations.”
Teachers and staff spent considerable time developing the list of expected behavior, Blevins told the school board Thursday when it met at the school. Now, every grade from pre-K through 6 has the same set of rules for how to behave in the hallways or lunchroom. If students forget, the expectations are posted in plain sight.
“If kids know what’s expected of them, they’re going to do it,” Blevins said.
Great Bend USD 428 has adopted a social skills curriculum that includes good behavior. Teachers also have tools to identify students who may struggle with social or emotional skills, so the school can address issues early or help the family find help.
The school also heard from Riley’s math coach, Lisa Starr; its English Language Arts coach, Tandi Mai; and its technology coach, Casey Gatton. Last year the school district added these support positions at every school.
At Riley, students are tested at the start of school to determine their strengths and weaknesses in mathematics and reading. Teachers know if a young student knows the alphabet and the names of each letter. An older student’s math skills may include understanding decimals or math applications.
Starr said Riley now has 29 math skills groups for intervention or enrichment, bringing students up to grade level on specific skills, or helping students do more with the skills they’ve mastered.
Mai said there are also 27 reading skills classes. Students may spend 30 minutes a day on a chosen skill, from phonics to comprehension. Students who need more help will get an extra 20 minutes of specific instruction.
To hone in on each student’s specific deficiencies and learn where each student is on track and moving forward, the teachers use the AIMSweb assessments adopted by the district.
Gatton helps them input data and also provides the teachers with tips for technology they can use in the classroom.
Mai said the coaches working together have helped classroom teachers see positive results. “Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success,” she said. “We approach everything together because it’s for our students.”
Blevins agreed. “We focus on using the data at a classroom level to make instruction better,” she said.

The big picture
Superintendent Brad Reed reminded the school board members that individual programs at Riley and other schools are pieces of an infrastructure built by the district.
“You can see the work that’s gone into putting this together,” Reed said. “I can assure you there’s no other district in Kansas doing these things at this level, district-wide.” That includes the district’s involvement in the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS), Kansas Reading Roadmap and Families and Schools Together. Great Bend USD 428 is now also a pilot district for the College and Career Competency program.
“You can see the enthusiasm and all the work (the educators) have put in, and now we’ll see it start to pay off,” Reed said.