Success Stories

Cleveland Metropolitan School District
“Our school was one of a 4-building collaborative to devise standards-based ELA Units for grades 6-8.   The General and Special Education teachers from all 4 schools worked to assemble high quality texts and devise ‘best practice’ teaching and testing strategies for 8 Units per grade level.

EdFOCUS guided us through this process with amazing expertise.  Our teachers enjoyed working with them and appreciated their depth of knowledge in every aspect of the project.   They provided sample texts and modeled effective teaching strategies that were easily adapted to our classrooms.  Our teachers still say it was one of the best projects we’ve ever done.”

–Dawn Hayden, Principal, Willson School

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Green Local Schools
“Before Covid, I was Assistant High School Principal at Green Local.  Our district took on the task of creating a standards-based curriculum in the four core content areas.  We devised standards-based Curriculum Maps, and – as a small district – it was essential that there be a developmental flow grade to grade and a coordination among buildings. 

Our provider, EdFOCUS, brought to our teachers a huge array of sample Maps and a deep knowledge of Ohio’s standards.  Our teachers rose to the occasion and used the opportunity to articulate teaching and testing techniques shown by the research to yield student mastery.  Green was well-prepared to deal with the challenge of remote learning.

–Kim Dannemiller, Director of Operations for OHuddle Mentorship, Ashland University.

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Bexley City Schools
“For several years, Maryland School used EdFOCUS as providers for our best practice work on School Effectiveness. We had a Superintendent who believed that each school was the engine of its own continuous improvement.  EdFOCUS helped us devise Curriculum Maps and Unit Plans that made the Maryland instructional program authentically and consistently  standards-based. 

Our primary grades devised cross-curricular connections among the four core academic areas.  And although our intermediate Maps were single-subject, we integrated activities across subjects to provide a seamless, integrated approach to learning.   EdFOCUS tailored their services to our precise needs.  Every teacher was individually engaged and encouraged to strengthen their skills knowing the impact this work would have on  our students.  Now as principal of the school, I see the big-picture value of this work at every grade level.  EdFOCUS helped Maryland Elementary become leaders in curriculum.   

– Rachel Niswander, Principal, Maryland Elementary School, Bexley City Schools.

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Youngstown City Schools
“When EdFOCUS conducted an audit of the Youngstown City Schools, I worked at East High School as principal.  Across the district, our test scores were continuing to decline, and our 6-12 curriculum needed an overhaul to include the Ohio Academic Standards in all four core areas.  EdFOCUS helped our General Ed and Special Needs teachers work together to devise Curriculum Maps for each subject based on the standards. 

Next, we created “best practices” Unit Plans to guide classroom instruction and provide tests that were parallel to Ohio’s high-stakes test items. In addition to the teachers, the district principals were also involved.  Not only did we help develop the Maps and Unit Plans, we learned how to monitor the  teaching of standards in classroom instruction.  It was one of the first projects involving the teachers and administrators in a district-wide effort to improve classroom instruction and increase student achievement.

– Holly L. Seimetz, Assistant Principal, Warren G. Harding High School