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Oak Branch principal shows early gains from "Instructional Empowerment" program; monthly PAWS checks aim to boost student ownership
Summary
At a Wyoming County Board meeting held at Rogue Ranch, Oak Branch Principal Miss Lyons presented first-year results from Instructional Empowerment: monthly PAWS assessments, coaching cycles and a color-coded data board that administrators said has shifted students from 'red' to 'yellow' and raised classroom rigor.
The Wyoming County Board of Education heard a school presentation at Rogue Ranch from Miss Lyons, principal of Oak Branch Elementary and Middle School, who outlined a first-year rollout of the Instructional Empowerment program and related strategies to raise classroom rigor.
"We decided that we wanted to grow together, not just in student achievement, but as a family," Miss Lyons said, describing weekly 10-minute teacher check-ins, peer coaching and a coaching board that charts teacher progress. She said the school has conducted 44 coaching sessions and 129 rigor walks this year to monitor lesson quality.
Bethany Smith, who introduced a monthly PAWS assessment approach, told the board teachers now assess students each month on the current standard so both teachers and students can set clear goals. "Our kids know how they do just as much as the teachers know how they do," Smith said.
Lyons described a color-coded data board that marks student progress (green/blue for on-target, yellow for nearly there, red for needing work) and a student self-rating system tied to incentives such as "victory laps." She said the school has seen movement from red to yellow between the first and second benchmarks and reported growth on formal appraisals (a stated average increase of 1.02 points between appraisal cycles).
Board members who visited Oak Branch praised the alignment of practice and the presentation. One board member said classroom observations matched the school’s talk: "They were walking the walk," the member said, commending student-led activities and discourse.
The principal also described steps to improve family engagement, including data talks for parents and a plan to explain elements of the state Third Grade Success Act. Lyons said attendance rose this year from about 86% to roughly 88% and that the school has shifted more disciplinary responses to in-school options to reduce out-of-school suspensions.
The presentation closed with examples of student achievements — county and regional placements in math, social studies and science fairs — and an invitation for board feedback as the school continues the instructional model next quarter.
