McKinney, Texas – McKinney ISD is pleased to announce that every MISD elementary and secondary school has achieved Level 1 certification in the Marzano High Reliability Schools™ (HRS) program.

“Level 1 certification” means these schools have created a “Safe and Collaborative Culture,” which is the foundation for every level of the HRS framework that follows. Such a culture is crucial to student achievement, and the Level 1 assessment addresses and evaluates day-to-day operations.

In the Marzano program, schools must collect data and validate their performance to move through each level of the hierarchy. Once a school’s information been submitted for evaluation, certification is determined by Marzano Research analysts who work in cooperation with school data teams and visit each campus to observe procedures and practices and interview staff.

“We all know that without a safe and orderly environment, learning will not occur,” said MISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel. “So, you start with that, and the HRS model allows you to analyze your organization from top to bottom to see what programs are giving you the most return on your investment. Then you continue with those, and you abandon the ones that are not.”

MISD Elementary Schools Earning Level 1 HRS Certification:

Bennett, Burks, Caldwell, Eddins, Finch, Glen Oaks, Reuben Johnson, Lawson Early Childhood School, Malvern, McClure, McGowen, McNeil, Minshew, Press, Slaughter, Valley Creek, Vega, Walker, Webb, Wilmeth and Wolford

MISD Middle Schools Earning Level 1 HRS Certification:

Cockrill, Dowell, Evans, Faubion and Scott Johnson

MISD High Schools Earning Level 1 HRS Certification:

McKinney Boyd, McKinney High School, McKinney North

The high reliability school program was created by Marzano Research to help transform schools into organizations that take proactive steps to ensure student success. Using a research-based five-level hierarchy, educators learn to assess, monitor and confirm the effectiveness of their schools.

This framework, based on 40 years of educational research, defines five progressive levels of performance that a school must master to become an HRS—where all students learn the content and skills they need for success in college, careers and beyond:

1. Safe and Collaborative Culture
2. Effective Teaching in Every Classroom
3. Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
4. Standards-Referenced Reporting
5. Competency-Based Education

“As you move through the levels, it represents a complete transformation in how schools are run,” says CEO Robert J. Marzano.

Using the HRS framework and indicators, schools can drive sustained, positive, and significant impacts on student achievement by synthesizing multiple complex initiatives into one harmonious system.

“The thing that I like most about the Marzano instrument,” McDaniel said, “is that it’s not some brand new program. It’s not something that we’re just trying to implement and be done with. It’s a continuous improvement instrument that allows us to consistently analyze what we’re doing with the purpose of getting better at every step along the way.

“We’re working to ensure that our schools represent best practices, and the Marzano instrument helps us do that.”

About Marzano Research

Marzano Research is a joint venture between Solution Tree and Dr. Robert J. Marzano. In service to educators, the company synthesizes Dr. Marzano’s scope of educational research, world-renowned for its breadth and depth, into accessible components teachers and principals can use for concrete gains in student learning. Continuous action research ensures Marzano Research strategies are always at the forefront of best practice.

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