Canyon recognized for student engagement

CATALDO — According to a recent survey published by the Idaho State Department of Education, Canyon Elementary School ranked fourth in terms of student engagement in all of Idaho.

Student engagement is defined in The Glossary of Education Reform as the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught.

Idaho measures student engagement based on student responses to 20 research-based questions about their perceptions about their level of engagement across the behavioral, emotional and cognitive domains.

Clocking in wit a score of 78.2 percent (almost 30 percent higher than the state average of 52.6 percent), Canyon found themselves ranked alongside, and even higher than, other elementary schools from major areas like Boise, Nampa and Madison.

CES Principal Jenny Ferreira was thrilled to see her school ranked so high, as it shows just how hard she and her staff have been working to reach every child that walks through their doors.

“For us, it’s really validating. One of our top priorities at Canyon is meeting the individual needs of each of our students; whether that’s their academic needs or their social and emotional needs,” Ferreira said. “Teaching in combo classes really forces our teachers to creatively differentiate instruction and make sure all students are engaged in instruction.”

While Canyon may be a smaller facility, there are many other schools with smaller enrollments who did not place as high as Canyon. In fact, Lakeside in Plummer/Worley was in the bottom 10 for both their elementary and middle schools.

Ferreira and her staff have made themselves adaptable in an effort to ensure that they are constantly finding better ways to educate students.

“As a staff, we are constantly re-evaluating how we are delivering instruction and making decisions and changes with the student’s needs as our top priority,” Ferreira said. “Our teachers are very masterful at keeping students engaged and interested in learning. We also work really hard to help our students navigate their emotional and social needs. One of our core beliefs is making sure students feel safe and cared about. We work really hard to create a culture of family and community at Canyon.”

This isn’t the only place where Canyon Elementary excels either, they also received a Top Academic Performer rating from the state for their work in English-Language Arts.

Being labeled a Top Academic Performer means that your scores on the state testing are in the 90th percentile.

“It’s really validating to know that our efforts are paying off,” Ferreira said. “We really want our students to be engaged at school and to feel cared for and safe. Getting these survey results really makes us feel like we’re on the right track.”

Kellogg School District Superintendent Dr. Nancy Larsen spoke highly of the culture at CES and believes it to be part of the reason the school was rated so high.

“There are many factors which go in to these reports,” Larsen said. “School size effect can be one of them, but with this high ranking, it seems that other factors may be better contributors. The family culture is so evident at Canyon and I believe this, and the work of the staff, contribute to the student engagement ranking.”