Chase City is located almost exactly midway between Bangor, Maine and
Miami. In Virginia's "Southside" rural center, it is 75 miles southwest
of Richmond, the nearest cultural center. Like many small towns in rural
Virginia, Chase City is struggling to adjust to a changing economy, as
small manufacturing operations downsize or move away entirely. According
to the National Institute of Family Literacy, some 38% of the adults in
the Chase City area read at only the most basic levels. Chase City
Elementary School has made its mission to provide educational
opportunities for the 515 Pre K-5 students despite the economic,
cultural, educational, and social barriers.

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="2.425196850393701in"
height="2.7763779527559054in"}Its mission is succeeding. Chase City
Elementary School has made outstanding academic progress over the past
four years. One of seven elementary schools in Mecklenburg County, it
was the first to become fully accredited, meeting the state's standards
of proficiency in 2000. In addition to earning the status of full
accreditation, Chase City Elementary School has also met the provisions
for Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) as set by the No Child Left Behind Act
for 2003 and 2004.

Chase City Elementary has made great strides in student achievement.
School scores for fifth grade reading increased from 71% in 2000 to 92%
in 2004, while fifth grade math scores increased from 56% in 2000 to 91%
in 2004.

Gains were also evident in the student subgroup scores. Reading scores
for African American fifth graders progressed from 63% in 2000 to 87% in
2004 and math scores increased from 43% to 85% from 2000 to 2004,
respectively, a gain of 98%. Less dramatically but still significantly,
fifth grade White students increased their reading proficiency from 78%
in 2000 to 98% in 2004; math totals show comparable progress from 68% in
2000 to 98% in 2004.

A close bond ties the school and community together, the result, in
part, of its home-grown staff. Principal Hilda Puryear, a former Chase
City teacher, named principal 13 years ago, proudly points out that many
of the teachers---and a few of the senior staff---grew up in Chase City
and were once students here. Puryear herself attended Chase City
Elementary School as a white student before it was integrated in 1967.
Today, the student population is almost evenly balanced between 52%
African American and 47% White students.

Asked the secret of their success, Principal Puryear simply says, "Hard
work! These teachers teach every child just like they are
Einstein---like they are very smart." She also points to another factor
behind her school's dramatic turnaround. At a conference three years
ago, the school's reading specialist learned about the Riggs
multi-sensory approach to beginning reading and spelling instruction, an
early reading method featuring direct instruction and a concentration on
phonics. Part of the generation who were not taught phonics in their own
schooling or during their teacher training, the first-grade team knew
they needed to revise their approach, and proposed trying the Riggs
program.

The school board gave Puryear and the teachers one year and Puryear
contacted a school in Florida that was using the Riggs approach.
Teachers from the Florida School came up to introduce the approach and
to train the Chase City primary grade teachers, and served as mentors
the first year, encouraging their new colleagues at Chase City not to
give up.

After 30 days, Chase City teachers were concerned that they might have
made a bad choice, but Puryear encouraged them, promising that "if we
mess up, it's my fault not yours. So keep working at it. If it doesn't
work out it will be on my shoulders, because we're not turning back!"

Before the school adopted Riggs, Chase City first graders were
struggling to get through all their assigned basal readers. After the
first year of the new program, students were not only completing their
basal readers but were into second grade books. By second grade they
continued to work on comprehension but, teachers realized with some
surprise, the students were really reading! Now, Chase City teachers
cover all the phonemes and sounds in Kindergarten and in first grade
have 30 spelling words which become the sight words.

Puryear says the Riggs approach has worked for their students,
especially students with learning disabilities, and sums up the
turnaround experience this way: "The more you do, the more you want to
do. You have to want it work in order for it to succeed. We had the
desire to change and we stuck with it." The Riggs program goes through
eighth grade, but Chase City backs eases out of it in 3^rd^ grade in
order to prepare students for the Virginia state assessments.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.027952755905512in"
height="1.8791338582677166in"}It doesn't take a visitor to Chase City
Elementary School long to understand the secret of the school's
well-documented success on state assessments. Students, faculty, staff,
parents, and community members are extremely focused on doing well on
the spring assessments. Although there is a laser-like focus on skills
and content knowledge, the real driver of Chase City's approach is the
precise study and test taking methods that all students learn every day.

Third-grade classroom teachers are constantly telling the students to
"slash the trash" and "jail the detail." Students aren't at all confused
by what seems to be code language, but are instead prompted by it to
re-examine word problems they are working on, eliminating unlikely
choices among the possible responses ("slashing the trash") and circling
key phrases and information ("jailing the detail") in the narrative.
Blue and pink pencil-shaped decals on every desk remind them of these
critical steps in this reading / study strategy. And the strategy
works---helping students, and even their parents, unravel a test
question confidently and skillfully isolate the important content.

"We encourage the students to mark up their test booklets," a teacher
says. "We emphasize trying your best and always stress the test-taking
strategies---jail the detail, slash the trash and the 'pink and blue
pencil' methods." Students who use the test-taking strategies during the
state assessments are rewarded with an annual spring Secret Adventure.
For seven years Chase City has been using this whole-school field trip
to reward student effort on the state assessments. The destination is
always a surprise---students have gone to the Natural History Museum in
Raleigh, visited the Swift Creek Playhouse, spent a fun day at a state
park, and taken a limousine ride that ended at a restaurant where
students ate at tables with white table cloths. The Secret Adventure has
become an important part of the school culture, and students and parents
eagerly anticipate the year's adventure. Principal Puryear emphasizes,
"We don't reward on the basis of the test results---we don't have the
results back for a few months. We reward the students for using the good
test-taking strategies that they have been taught."

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="3.308267716535433in"
height="1.9354330708661418in"}Tests are scheduled carefully at Chase
City. Math tests come first, followed by a rest day during which
teachers hold a "subject camp" (review) for the subject of the next
day's tests. If a teacher sees a child is not using the strategies, or
not marking his or her test book, or seems tired, the teacher will call
the child's parents, letting them know that their help is needed to
encourage their child to use the strategies and to make sure he or she
gets enough sleep that night.

Every year Principal Puryear goes into each third grade classroom before
testing begins. She reads William Steig's *Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble* and gives each child a glass marble to help them focus on doing
their best on the tests. For the older children, Puryear reads Dr.
Suess's *Hooray for Diffendoofer Day* to remind them to forget their
nerves and remember the good things they have been taught. For the
writing test, teachers pass out magic "writing wands" and peppermint
chewing gum. Every student has a snack bag and a bottle of water on
their desk on test day. These are a few of the many little touches that
focus on the positive while letting the students know how special test
days are. The parents and students are told that the school will do
everything they can to make them successful.

The test preparation strategies are introduced to students, teachers,
and parents early and daily throughout the year. Prior grade-level
teachers proctor the tests of the grade level above, so they can become
familiar with the assessment focus of the next grade level. Teachers
practice testing accommodations two weeks before the test in order to
implement them effectively. In an audit of school assessment practices,
the Virginia Department of Education identified Chase City as a model
site for best practices in assessment.

Teachers are not only successful because of the support of their
principal and the building leadership team; they have many other
effective instructional supports as well. Principal Puryear explains
that Chase City was disaggregating test results prior to NCLB. "Teachers
do a lot of examining of student work... after all that's where it all
comes from*."*

The school conducts three rounds of benchmark testing to gauge student
progress on the curriculum units. The district provides 4^th^ grade
benchmarks; Chase City teachers wrote the 5^th^ grade benchmark
assessments. The benchmark tests are scanned so teachers get online
reports and can conduct item analyses of student responses. The teachers
then determine what knowledge the students have mastered and what needs
to be re-taught.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="3.148425196850394in"
height="1.9125984251968504in"}An Instructional Support Teacher (IST)
helps teachers review the benchmark assessments and think critically
about instruction, and models effective teaching and re-teaching
strategies. Puryear gives lots of credit for the school's success to
this key player, saying "She is an instructional leader that the other
teachers respect." Formerly a third grade teacher at the school, "she
knows instruction, she knows every child that is in trouble and knows
the best way to reach them. She helps every teacher help every child."
As a result, the IST does a lot of the in-house, on-the-job professional
development using individual, small, and whole-group strategies.

The computer lab is not a once-a-week special, but is integral to the
school's learning system. It provides individualized instruction,
starting at the students' own levels and supporting them as they
progress. Students in grades 2 - 5 go to the computer lab for 30 minutes
five times a week. On Friday, students are given some leeway and allowed
to play instructional computer games. The computer work is considered
part of the curriculum and teachers work with the computer lab teacher
to target children's learning needs in math and reading.

An after-school Power Hour offers extra help to students who are below
grade level prepare for state assessments. Students attend the Power
Hour, which meets twice weekly in the spring, by teacher invitation.
Transportation is provided, resulting in a 60-70% attendance rate. There
is also an after-school science club taught by a 4H extension agent, who
helps review 5^th^ grade science prior to the state science assessment.

The school counselor plays a unique supporting role in preparing
students to learn and succeed on state assessments. She was hired two
years ago because she possessed intriguing credentials---she cared
passionately about making every child feel special and had a degree in
marketing and a business background. She has since gained her counseling
credentials. As a result, Puryear says, "She can sell the children on
their strengths." The counselor goes beyond the school doors to find
beds for children, food for families, and teaches yoga to the school
staff. She also organizes a Thanksgiving dinner, where the students help
set the table, learn how to hold a fork, and fold napkins. It is a
special event for the children.

The counselor explains that she was extremely motivated by her
principal's support and caring for every child: "I am attracted to the
genuineness in this school---\[they are\] unwilling to give up on a
child. Nobody is out of the scope of helping. Even the janitor is
willing to help." She adds, "The kids feel safe. They know their needs
will be met. They know the rules and the boundaries. High expectations
are held for them, but they see a work ethic in the role models that
surround them."

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="3.2493055555555554in" height="2.1625in"}In
the year leading up to spring testing, the counselor works with each
child to set test goals---one for reading, one for math, and one for
something of the student's own choice. They write the goals on a special
pink sheet that each student and his or her parent signs. These personal
plans guide students as they prepare to take the tests. The students and
counselors form strong bonds and each student knows an adult that cares
about him or her. The counselor has a secret wave that doesn't disrupt
students when she sees them but does remind them that they are special.

Chase City's special education services exemplify this attitude. The
school's approach has been "push in" rather than "pull out." The
teachers "celebrate the student's smartness"---highlighting each
student's strength and building upon it. Teachers report that the
collaborative approach seems to work well for Chase City students, and
that the students all learn from each other in the classroom. Puryear
admits, "If you had asked me five years ago how to handle special
education, I would have argued for special classes. I see it differently
now and how much better it is for both the students and teachers."

Chase City's 1950's building (an addition was built 1980) is maintained
with great care and pride. Resources are scarce, so the prevailing
attitude encourages hard work, thrift, and wise spending. One night a
month administrators and teachers volunteer as hosts and waiters at a
local restaurant and encourage parents and students to stop by for
dinner or a snack. In return, the school receives 10% of the profits for
the evening, which amounted to \$1,500 last year. While not a great deal
of money, the monthly activity generates fun for staff, students, and
their families. And the funds are used for some program or activity that
supports learning.

Another win-win situation involving little money is the school garden.
With a \$500 grant, the school purchased seeds and tools for a garden. A
neighbor living on an adjoining property offered to let the school plant
the garden in his yard and even plowed the ground. Then classes of
students planted seeds and nurtured the plants throughout the spring.
The neighbor got to harvest the garden after school ended. In the end,
to paraphrase the popular ad: seeds + tools + material = \$500; hard
work + inquisitive students = student learning; happy neighbor +
community goodwill = priceless!

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="2.735433070866142in"
height="2.5484251968503937in"}

In 2001 Chase City was one of six schools in the country selected as a
National Change School in a process sponsored by Pearson Learning, the
National Association of Elementary School Principals, and Fordham
University. Twenty eight Chase City staff members went to New York City
to attend the award ceremony at Lincoln Center and pick up a check for
\$2,500. While the money was appreciated and well used---and teachers
fondly recall their trip and their time in New York City---more
important was the recognition of the efforts by teachers, staff, and the
community to improve their school.

Realizing that Chase City could be successful in other recognition
programs, Principal Puryear later that year applied for a VH1 "Save the
Music" award, and the school became the first rural school in the
country to win. MTV and VHI officials came to Chase City to present the
award at a big evening event, and with the \$25,000 prize money the
school purchased 40 musical instruments. The community raised money for
music stands and the district has contributed sheet music and instrument
repair. That helped Puryear lure the current music teacher to Chase City
from New York. Says Puryear, "She works to make a joyful noise!" The
music teacher leads the band after school as well as a guitar club and a
song-writing club.

At a Title I STARS meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia, Principal Puryear
heard Jean Blades from Texas speak on "Rhythm and Music," an approach
Blades explained was especially effective with African American males.
Some Chase City staff traveled to Prince William County to attend an
in-service demonstration with Blades. Returning home with the videos and
songs, they now play them over the intercom every morning to get the
students awake and ready to learn. Whether the day's choice is *Shake
Your Brain*, *Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes*, or classical music from
*Mozart for the Mind*, Chase City uses music effectively to set a tone
that helps students have fun while learning. The teachers feel supported
in leading up-beat classrooms. As Puryear says, "I realized that not
every classroom has to be quiet like mine was!"

Puryear's leadership has encouraged a strong dose of recognition and the
school celebrates its achievements heartily. On the last day of school,
administrators, faculty, and staff members don blue and pink wigs, slip
on chicken feet, and do the "chicken dance" as the students leave the
school. The principal uses this end-of-the-year celebration to honor the
hard work students and their parents have done and the school's
successful results on the state assessments. As one teacher put it,
"Everybody leaves on good note and wants to come back next year. We have
a lot of fun here---people learn when they are having fun."

  -------------------- ------------ ----------- ------------ ------------ --
  \% Students at or                                                       
  Above Proficient                                                        

  Grade 5 English                                                         
  Language Arts                                                           

                       2001         2002        2003         2004         

  \% students tested   85           86          99           100          

  All students         77           77          89           92           

  Low income           NA           68          89           89           

  African American     68           66          83           87           

  White                82           90          94           98           

  State average        82           77          82           85           

  Grade 5 Math                                                            

                       2001         2002        2003         2004         

  \% students tested   85           87          99           100          

  All students         74           89          79           91           

  Low income           NA           80          73           88           

  African American     64           85          61           85           

  White                80           94          94           98           

  State average        72           71          75           78           
  -------------------- ------------ ----------- ------------ ------------ --