EdCircuit Staff 
Table of Contents
What do pickle parties, Taki nachos, and dodgeball have in common? Stone County Middle School, that’s what.
But why, you ask? Because they are middle schoolers and if something is cool on social media or trending on TikTok, then the administrators will work to throw that into the incentive pot for student participation and progress in a learning program called i-Ready.
“At the middle school, by the time they get here, they’re semi burnt-out on i-Ready, so we have to find a way to motivate them to care,” Stone County Middle School’s Principal Lance Bolen shares about his students.
So bring on the rewards and incentives; the pickles, the Takis, and everything in between! But to truly embrace this approach, even from a student perspective, Stone County Middle School had to change their cultural mindset, and it started at the top.
Top-Down Transition To Takis; Constructively Speaking
Stone County Public Schools have been using the online learning platform i-Ready developed by Curriculum Associates for seven years. Therefore, the middle school early teens attending Stone County Middle School are no doubt in need of something to spice up their motivation, so bring on the Takis! But this forward-thinking, progressive response to student engagement needed to have the buy-in from all accountable parties, starting from the top.
When Stone County Middle School’s principal Bolen and assistant principal Tiffany Farmer joined forces in 2019, they began to develop a new culture and mindset of progression, growth and overall academic respect that started with the hiring of new teachers. “The first thing that we have done in the last three years is the extensive overhaul of our interview process,” explains Bolen. “Before we bring new employees in, we spend probably an hour to an hour and a half with each employee on the initial interview. And if they get into what we call a potential recommendation group, we’re going spend another probably hour with them screening the last couple. And we make every effort to hire the most qualified employee that we can get for our kids.”
Bolen continues to explain that the interview process has been fine-tuned over the three years he and Farmer have worked together, and then even more when second assistant principal Alison Tice joined the team. “It’s basically a series of questionnaires that directly assess three things; your aptitude, your teaching experience, and how you respond to pressure situations. And usually, by the time you finish that process, you can tell what type of applicants you have,” says Bolen.
Farmer adds on that the biggest part of the hiring process is constructive criticism. “<We hire> people that can take that, and know that we’re just refining the process to get the very best for our kids.” The hiring of new teachers who are open to constructive criticism is foundational in Stone County Middle School’s mission for data-driven instruction. Farmer states, “We’ve really focused on bringing in those personalities that are not scared to one- take the constructive criticism, but two- put themselves out to say, ‘Okay, I need help with this. How do I redirect this to get my kids? What’s working in your class?’ And as well as having those teachers say, ‘Hey, this is what’s working for me. Not sure if it’ll work for you.’”
It’s with the ability to accept and provide constructive criticism that teachers are able to build on their craft, and in turn, directly influence the students’ success, both in academics and in life.
Data-Driven to Dodgeball; How Teachers and Students are Evaluating Data to Reach Rewards
That constructive criticism mindset on the administrative and teacher level trickles down to the students who not only benefit from the instructional changes made from analyzing and adjusting one’s teaching practices, but also grow to understand what it means to accept constructive criticism themselves as they analyze data, reflect on their progress, and ultimately refine their own learning.
“A lot of times teachers get burned out on hearing data-driven, data-driven, data-driven,” says Farmer, “So we’ve changed that mindset and <made it about> what’s best for kids. We started with basically, is it standards related? Is it relevant to where we need to get the kids in the end?”
With digital spreadsheets, teachers are able to fill them out in real-time which saves planning time. “As the kids are testing, <teachers> are in those data sheets putting in new numbers and crunching and looking in relation to where we were and where we want to go,” says Farmer.
But teachers aren’t the only ones collecting data. “We’ve also made individual student data sheets, where we are having the kids gain ownership in their own learning practices and their own path for getting where they want to get,” says Farmer. “We have real-time data chats. You can walk in rooms at any given time and while kids are working in a small group or independent practice, teachers have a kid at a time back there, having those conversations of, ‘Okay, this is where you’re at, this is where we need to get to.’”
Farmer shares that this data-driven dialogue and culture has allowed students to be more open and comfortable in the relationships between adults and peers. There still remains a level of respect and understanding of authority, but the students aren’t afraid to speak up to adults using academic language. During an observation, a student even responded to Assistant Principal Farmer, ‘Oh, no, ma’am. Here’s textual evidence that supports that.’
Farmer states, “I feel like we’ve worked, and our teachers have worked extremely hard and persistently, to have that open concept of an open door policy.”
Tice adds on, “We’re using data a lot to also create small groups within the classroom. We know specifically what standards we need to hit with kids to bump them up enough to get them the growth that they need to show. That’s been huge!”
And It All Leads to Pickle Parties, Takis, and Dodgeball
Building a data-driven culture that thrives on constructive criticism has yielded a positive, respectful academic environment at Stone County Middle School. But at the end of the day, it’s all about the students, so that means prizes and parties to celebrate their success!
“It is difficult to keep their interest once they get to this level,” explains Farmer about middle school-aged students, so she and Tice have teamed up to create a healthy environment of competition for class and student participation and progress with i-Ready. “We have pulled some tricks out of the hats, listened to the students’ opinions, listened to the teachers’ opinions, listened to parents, and tried to come up with an overall plan that works best for everybody. We have done things for growth, and not necessarily just because <students are> hitting proficiency, but for them showing growth.”
The incentive list is long and continuously growing, with activities such as popcorn pizzazz parties, root beer float parties, dodgeball tournaments with students against teachers and Takis nachos and Coca Cola for the fans, talent shows, ice cream sundae parties, field day, and pickles!
“We don’t just do pickles; we do kool aid pickles,” says Farmer. “A Wicked Pickle Party because of the kool aid. So, things that are trending on TikTok, if you will. We’ve also asked students. ‘Well, what do you want to see? What do you want to do? What would you like as a snack if this is our incentive this month?’”
Bolen speaks to his team of assistant principals on the student incentive front. “Tiffany and Alison get 100% credit on these different ways that they have been creative this year. <They> have gone in full-blown reward mode to be able to keep our kids interested, things from pickle parties to nachos to dodgeball games.”
Tice adds on, “Our teachers are very good about individualizing by class rewards, so that the leaders in those classrooms also have their own little class party reward or whatever it is the teacher is handing out. They’re really good about picking out and making sure that those students are highlighted in a way that they still receive a reward and feel like they are contributing to the overall growth.”
Positive Mindset Leads to Positive Progress in School and in Life
This positive culture of learning and growing and celebrating success didn’t happen overnight at Stone County Middle School. “I think it’s been a gradual process over three years,” says Bolen, “I think we made progress after year one, bringing in some good people, putting them in the right places where they can be successful. <But> it’s a gradual phase. It just didn’t happen in one year.”
Farmers adds on, “And we truly can say that we have people in place that are truly here and care about kids and what’s in their best interest, and with that, we have a lot of positive behavior. I think just the growth mindset of it, not only from a data perspective, but just from an internal perspective, as a person, and what’s best for kids.”
“<And> the teachers have never stopped,” shares Tice. “They never stopped communicating with parents. They’ve never stopped having Google meets. I just cannot even say enough about them for doing what they’re supposed to do, following up with kids, making sure that they’re there for the kids. They really have a passion for their jobs.”
In a school culture, it’s that passion, those teachers, those administrators, those adults directly invested in the lives of students that ultimately have the most meaningful impact. In 20 or 3o years, the students of Stone County Middle School won’t recall the pickles or the Takis or who won the dodgeball game; they will remember the teachers and administrators who cared about them and celebrated them and helped them establish a life-long love of learning and of self.
About the Author
Maria Grosskettler a Staff Writer of EdCircuit is a lover of the written word. She knows the power and magic it holds. As a teacher, she strives to inspire this same love into young readers and writers. As a journalist and published author, she strives to bring that magic into the hands and minds of readers- no matter the genre. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Maria enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons seeking adventures every day. As a family, they enjoy traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, and playing disc golf. She lives in Maryland for part of the year. The rest of the time, she travels the world creating her own adventures which are often the inspiration behind her stories.
