An Arizona Principal Leverages State Grant to Strengthen Instruction

As principal of Tartesso Elementary School, Dr. Nicole Scales knows that helping students grow starts with supporting teachers. She is expanding opportunities for teacher collaboration and strengthening instructional planning at Tartesso, part of Arizona’s Saddle Mountain Unified School District #90.

Through Arizona’s Direct Student Services (DSS) grant and a partnership with NIET, teachers strengthen their planning to help students at every achievement level make progress in math and reading. For National Principals Month, Scales shares how these opportunities are helping teachers plan instruction that responds to the needs of each student.

What student needs or academic challenges have been your greatest priorities at Tartesso?

Our greatest priorities have been attendance and increasing student proficiency and growth in math and reading. In writing, students struggle with providing evidence and elaborating on their thinking. We have also found that students may show understanding on weekly formative assessments but are not always able to transfer that learning to district and state assessments. Another priority is making sure we are growing all students, because in the past, much of our focus has been on our lowest-performing students while other students have remained stagnant.

How has NIET supported your improvements in achievement?

NIET has supported our work through walkthroughs, instructional planning, professional development, and feedback. Through questioning and coaching, NIET has helped us slow down and really examine what the standard is asking students to know and be able to do. This has helped us become more intentional about the level of rigor in our lessons and whether our instruction truly aligns with the standard. Walkthroughs also give us an opportunity to identify areas where teachers need additional support and professional development.

Can you share an example of how the state Direct Student Services grant created opportunities or helped to advance your goals for Tartesso’s teachers and students?

The state DSS grant provided opportunities for teachers to come together for professional development focused on understanding content and improving instructional planning. We used the Lesson Internalization Protocol to unpack standards, develop exemplars, and identify possible student misconceptions before instruction. Teachers were able to collaborate about what mastery should look like and plan how they would respond when students did not demonstrate understanding. This has helped our teachers become more intentional about planning instruction that is aligned to the standard and is responsive to student needs.