High School Principal Jeremy Lewis and Asst. Principal Missy Floyd are pictured with the certificate.

Highland High School achieves Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools™

 Highland High School is pleased to announce the achievement of Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools™. Level 1 certification means Highland High School has created a “Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Culture,” which is the foundation for every level that follows. Without such a culture, student achievement will be compromised. Day-to-day school operations are addressed and evaluated in Level 1.

Highland High School is only the second high school in Arkansas to attain this certification. “It’s all about culture. We framed our whole year around it,” said High School Assistant Principal Missy Floyd.  High School Principal Jeremy Lewis compared it to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. “You have to have your needs met before you can move on to learning. You have to feel safe, protected, and nourished.”

The high reliability school (HRS) program was created by Marzano Resources to help transform schools into organizations that take proactive steps to ensure student success. Using a research- based five-level hierarchy, along with leading and growth indicators, educators learn to assess, monitor, and confirm the effectiveness of their schools.

“We’re proud! We’re the second high school in the state to achieve level 1,” Lewis added. The school is already moving on to levels two and three, which they can work on simultaneously. No school in the state has a level two certification at this time. Lewis said the school already has a good start to that certification.

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

“As you move through the levels, it represents a complete transformation in how schools are run,” says CEO Robert J. Marzano.

Schools must 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.

Using the HRS framework and indicators, schools can drive sustained, positive, and significant impacts on student achievement by synthesizing multiple complex initiatives into one harmonious system.