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Gracie Stewart Elementary reports jump in student ability to state learning intentions after visible‑learning work
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Summary
Gracie Stewart Elementary leaders told the Salina USD 305 board that visible‑learning practices raised the share of students who could state their learning intentions from 20% in October to 77% in December, and described a dispositions program called Cougar CRU.
Gracie Stewart Elementary School leaders reported to the Salina USD 305 Board of Education on Feb. 18 that visible‑learning practices are increasing student clarity about learning goals and are being tied to classroom success criteria.
Principal Deanna Carpenter and lead teacher Erin McCorkle said the school began measuring student ability to state learning intentions in October and found roughly 20% of students could accurately name standards‑aligned learning goals. By December that figure rose to 77%, and an additional “just under 6%” of students could articulate how an activity connected to the learning intention, a combination the presenters described as 83% overall progress from the October baseline.
The presentations emphasized two goals: (1) increase clarity about “what we are learning” and (2) teach students “what makes a good learner.” To teach dispositions, staff created a school‑wide acronym — Cougar CRU — to represent Collaborative, Reflective, (Embrace) Challenges, and (Wonder/Curiosity). Teachers built resources in Google to support each disposition: check‑ins, short videos, activities and recommended books. Carpenter said teachers introduced success criteria for each reading and math standard and placed those criteria where students could use them (on walls or in notebooks) so students could monitor progress.
Carpenter and McCorkle said the work required months of PLC meetings and professional development; staff used formative checks in classrooms to “dipstick” progress and plan a spring recheck. They described grade‑level differences in implementation: older students frequently keep success criteria in a notebook and check items off as they master them, while kindergarten and early first graders rely on teacher scaffolding and visual supports. The presenters said the next steps include refining the wording of learning intentions and success criteria and continuing student instruction on dispositions with an eye toward connecting the “what” to the “why” of lessons.
Board members asked whether visible learning is used across subjects; presenters confirmed it is used in science and all specials. Carpenter said the district will monitor progress again in the spring and that district‑level checks are planned.
The presentation was described by the presenters as early‑stage work with demonstrable gains; no formal board action was recorded on the item.
