Teachers and students at Mercer County Intermediate School on Monday told the Mercer County Board of Education that a teacher-led "house system" is boosting student engagement, attendance and peer support.

Miss Floro, the assistant principal at MCIS, said the district has adopted instructional strategies called the Titan Pillars and the Titan Way after visits to an external program. "Our teachers continue to use high quality instructional resources," she said, describing benchmark and writing programs that support the initiative.

Hope Patterson, a third-grade reading teacher at MCIS, described classroom practice under the program: "Benchmark gives us clear data so we can see which skills need more practice," she said, adding that students practise close reading daily and learn to cite text evidence. Hannah Williams, a third-grade ELA teacher, outlined the school's use of CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) for short answers: "This is a great way to help our kids express what they think," she said.

Fourth-grade teacher Sarah Cunningham said the math and science programs give students multiple problem-solving strategies and opportunities to lead classroom instruction. "They love to come to the stage and teach the class and show them how they got their answer," she said.

Teachers said the house system has been implemented without sacrificing instructional time. Ashley Roche, a fifth-grade teacher who attended training at the Ron Clark Academy, said the model is "teacher led" and has strengthened school culture: "Since implementing the house system, it's like a new level of motivation for the kids. They look forward to the house meetings. They look forward to coming to school." Emily Johnson, a third-grade teacher, told the board that students who once struggled to fit in have found community and pride through the houses.

A student delegate explained the mechanics for the board: students are sorted into four houses, earn points for academic excellence or caring behavior, and participate in house cheers and community events. Teachers reported parents have become involved by designing floats for a house-themed Christmas parade.

The principal summarized the district’s four priorities — culture and climate, math and reading proficiency, progress for students with special needs, and implementation of Titan Pillars — and said the house system supports the first priority by creating student belonging and leadership opportunities. He emphasized that the system is planned into the schedule and does not reduce instructional time.

Board members thanked staff and students for the presentation and recognized the visible energy and student confidence on display. The board took a short recess following the presentation.

The presentation will be followed up through routine monitoring of attendance and proficiency data at future meetings.