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After hard work in recent years by administrators and staff, Albert Lea High School has achieved its second level of certification through the Marzano High Reliability Schools program centered on developing tools for effective teaching in every classroom.

The High Reliability Schools program was created by Marzano Resources to help transform schools into organizations that take proactive steps to ensure student success, according to a press release. Using a research-based five-level hierarchy, along with leading and lagging indicators, educators learn to assess, monitor and confirm the effectiveness of their schools.  

The framework, based on 50 years of educational research, defines five progressive levels of performance that a school must master to become a High Reliability School, where all students learn the content and skills they need for success in college, careers and beyond.  

To complete the program, schools collect data and validate their performance to climb each level of the hierarchy. Certification is determined by Marzano Resources analysts in cooperation with school data teams.  

Albert Lea High School Principal Chris Dibble said the high school received its level one certification five years ago, which centered around developing a safe, supportive and collaborative culture. The four elementary schools and the middle school have also earned the first level certification, while the high school is the first Albert Lea school to receive the second-level certification.

Dibble said they developed many protocols as a result of the first certification, including how they supervise hallways and lock bathrooms. Even the flex program, or advisory periods in place at the school, were implemented through efforts of the program.

“HRS has guided us — making sure every kid feels safe physically and mentally,” he said.

He noted that Marzano is well respected in the education field and is the author of “The New Art and Science of Teaching,” a book that is given to all the teachers in the district.

Dibble said the program looks at what the teachers are doing well and where they can improve.

“Making sure every one of our teachers is equipped to learn the best way possible so our students have the best outcome possible,” he said.

He said being certified doesn’t mean the school is perfect in those areas; rather, it has the steps in place to make sure they are doing things right. They re-certify every five years.

“In terms of a school being certified, I think it’s a big deal because we’re doing the work that we know we need to do to make our students the best they can be,” Dibble said.

Work is also underway for level 3 certification, which focuses on guaranteed and viable curriculum.

Jacqui Richter, an instructional coach at the high school who also teaches some math and credit recovery, said in her role, she goes in to be the eyes for the staff. Staff pick various elements they want to work on, and then she goes into the classroom, does a pre-observation and gets to know the teachers’ comforts and areas they want to focus on. She works not so much in an evaluative role but in talking strategies, resources and guidance with the teachers.

Teachers also get the opportunity to view other teachers in their classrooms and get ideas to incorporate as well.

Mindy Kruger, a math teacher, said one of the biggest things she has seen with the implementation of the High Reliability Schools program is that the teachers and staff are using the same terminology in their work.

“That makes such a huge difference,” Kruger said. “It helps everyone be on the same page as far as some of the common language.”

Jennifer Henschel, an eighth-grade English teacher, agreed with Kruger in that it helps staff be on the same page.

She said regarding the level 2 certification, it has been centered around becoming a better teacher. As teachers that is something they always want to do but noted that when you’ve been teaching the same subject for a long time, it’s easy to get in a rut.

“We’re constantly getting feedback from our administrators, instructional coaches … and we become better,” Henschel said. “When we’re better, the kids are better.”

She spoke highly of the observations the teachers have conducted.

“Teachers all have their different strengths, and for us to go and observe other teachers and learn from them, their strengths can become our strengths.”

Longtime teacher Jim Haney said the High Reliability Schools program gives him structure of what good teaching is supposed to look like.

“I think that benefits the students because if I can be better, then they’ll be better,” he said.

He said he has found the observations he has conducted in other classrooms to be “fascinating” and said he is pulling some other ideas from other teachers to incorporate in his own classroom.

Dibble said he will officially accept recognition for the certification at a conference at the end of the month.