The Ranch Academy has chosen observe4success classroom observation and walkthrough software for their two campuses. The Ranch Academy’s Superintendent, Melissa Pardue, needed a customizable observation solution to meet the unique needs of their campuses in Tyler and Canton Texas where teacher support and collaboration are top priorities.
In rural East Texas, students have limited options when it comes to school choice. However, The Ranch Academy, whose motto is “work hard and be nice,” provides a unique and flexible atmosphere for students looking to recover credit, avoid bullying, and work at their own pace. Approximately 95% of the students attending The Ranch Academy are considered at-risk and require individualized, self-pace instruction.
“In our unique setting, most one-size-fits-all solutions don’t fit our needs,” explained Superintendent Pardue. “The self-pace curriculum at The Ranch Academy means that none of our 150 plus students are at the same place at the same time, which poses an additional set of challenges for our teachers as this does not allow them to follow a typical lesson planning cycle.”
At The Ranch Academy, very rarely do you see classes beginning at the same point, getting instruction together, moving to guided practice, practicing alone, doing homework, and turning it in. Rather, classes are structured with many levels of one content area, for example Pre-Algebra through Algebra, all in one classroom of 3 to 10 students. Teachers instruct in small groups or with one-to-one tutoring, and rely on students to be engaged in and take responsibility for their learning. This makes using traditional teacher observation rubrics tough.
observe4success allows The Ranch Academy to add customized walkthroughs to their routine, and meets their longer observation requirements.
