Pictured above are Cognia representative at left and Lennox School Administrators, Chad Allison and Darin Eich at right.
Lennox School District was invited to present at the South Dakota Continuous Improvement Institute, held in Pierre, SD on Sept. 9, 2024. Lennox was recognized in the spring of 2024 with the Circle of Excellence Award by Cognia, a global non-profit supporting improvement through regional accreditation since 1898. Lennox Junior/High School was first accredited in 1926, and the district has carried on that legacy of commitment to quality through regional accreditation.
Through their Cognia Engagement Review conducted by an external team in 2023, Lennox School District demonstrated their embedded process of continuous improvement, driven by data from various sources which impact student outcomes.
Through their review it was evident their Strategic Plan was their guiding star and progress was informed year to year through frequent data analysis. These embedded procedures allow the district to measure learning and the effectiveness of instructional investments.
Regional Accreditation Evaluator, Dr. Dan Leikvold stated, “Lennox School District has intentionally nurtured and sustained a healthy culture of learning through its strategic planning process and its support of professional staff. Leaders have implemented strategic planning and school improvement processes that serve as a blueprint of what is expected throughout all buildings.”
As a result of their data driven response the district moved state test scores in English Language Arts from 59% proficient in 2017-18 to 71% in 2022-23. Similar increases were seen in Math moving from 47% to 66% and Science 46% to 65%. Dedication of time in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and a focus on spiraling curriculum to keep content fresh with their students contributed to their success. These significant increases in student achievement resulted in Lennox Elementary School being deemed as a “Blue Ribbon School” by the Department of Education.
Based upon their regional accreditation evaluation, based on globally recognized Performance Standards, Lennox successfully identified areas of achievement and improvement at the highest level in the Key Characteristics: Culture of Learning and Leadership for Learning. The school’s level of quality was also evident as they successfully met 28 of the 30 Performance Standards, with 8 rating at the highest level. This resulted in an Index of Education Quality (IEQ) score of 325, which is 65 points higher than the national average.
“Lennox School District should be commended for their commitment and dedication to achieve the next level of excellence on behalf of the learners they serve. It is our privilege to honor them with the Circle of Excellence award and appreciate their willingness to share of their best practices with other educational leaders in the state.” commented Shannon Vogler, Cognia Regional Director.