Pierz School District receives national HRS certification

Pierz School District receives national HRS certification Main Photo

6 Mar 2023


Awards and Recognition, Education, News, Community, Economic Development

    The Pierz School Board was informed by High School Principal Karrie Boser about the High Reliability School (HRS) certification both Pioneer Elementary School and Healy High School received from Marzano Resources, Wednesday, Feb. 22.

    The steps to certification are completed through Sourcewell, which in partnership with Marzano Resources, guide local districts in becoming HRS schools. According to Sourcewell’s website. this is done by offering the districts surveys and data coaching to identify indicators of success, strategic planning and monitoring of progress and coaching and leadership development.

    Recently, Boser, along with five other teachers from the district, traveled to the HRS Summit in San Antonio, Texas, to receive the recognition. Besides both Pioneer Elementary School and Healy High School being certified as level one high reliability schools, what made it even more special was the fact that the district earned a national certification as a district, she said.

    Boser said the Pioneer Elementary School and Healy High School are two of 17 schools in Minnesota that were certified in level one. Nationally, the Pierz School District is one of about 15 districts that received a national certification.

    “That’s huge,” she said.

    Boser said a high reliability school is defined as a school that is “committed to a pursuit of excellence and integrity in delivering on the work they are tasked with performing” and thus, ultimately learning. It also ensures that all students learn at high levels and requires that schools and their staff take a high reliability perspective, she said.

    There are three functions of high reliability, Boser said. Those are, firstly, to improve normal operations; secondly, to detect potential problems and thirdly, to recover from those problems, she said.

    Eight leading indicators for a school that’s certified as a level one is that the school environment is perceived as safe and orderly by students, parents, community, faculty and staff. The teachers also have format roles in the decision-making process regarding school initiatives and collaborative teams regularly interact to address common issues regarding curriculum, assessment, instruction and the achievement of all students, Boser said.

    Other indicators include that students, parents and the community, as well as teachers and staff, have formal ways to provide input for optimal functioning of the school The school also acknowledges the success of the whole school and the individuals within the school. Furthermore, the school manages its fiscal, operational and technological resources in a way that directly supports teachers, Boser said.

    Boser said while she and the others knew both schools would be certified, the district certification was a surprise. They also didn’t realize the huge implication the national certification has on Pierz as a school district, she said.

    The level one certification is something the Safe Supportive Collaborative Culture (SSCC) team has worked toward for the last two years, Boser said.

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