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Teaching & Learning
Our Team
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Welcome to the Teaching & Learning Department

Welcome to the Teaching and Learning Department! We are dedicated to equipping every classroom and empowering every student. By bridging academic excellence with social-emotional support, we ensure all K-12 learners have the tools to thrive. Our team oversees and coordinates the following programs and services:

  • Title Program (District)
  • Continuous Improvement Plans
  • Curricular Offerings
  • Instructional Supports
  • Assessment Initiatives
  • Gifted Program
  • Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports
  • Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
  • Resident Educator Program
  • Career & Technical Education Services
  • Professional Development
  • District-Wide Data Analysis
  • Instructional Technology
  • Tutoring & Summer School Services
Our Team
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Learn More

    Title I Program

    Title I, Part A, is a federal program under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that provides supplemental funding to school districts. The goal of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic standards. Our district utilizes Title I funds to support schools with higher percentages of students from low-income families. These resources help us bridge educational gaps by providing:

    • Supplemental Instruction: Additional academic support, interventions, and tutoring in core subjects like reading and mathematics.
    • Highly Qualified Staff: Professional development and specialized training for teachers and instructional aides to implement evidence-based teaching strategies.
    • Instructional Materials: Up-to-date technology, specialized software, and classroom learning resources that extend beyond standard district provisions.
    • Family Engagement: Resources and programs designed to build strong school-home partnerships and empower parents to support their child's learning.

    Parent and Family Engagement

    We believe that student success is a shared responsibility between the school and the home. Under Title I regulations, parents and family members have the right to be involved in the planning, review, and improvement of our Title I programs. Each Title I school maintains a written Parent and Family Engagement Policy and a School-Parent Compact that outlines how parents, staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved academic achievement.

    Parents' Right-to-Know: Under federal law, parents of students attending Title I schools may request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals. Please contact your school principal for details.

    For more information about Title I programs, school eligibility, or how to get involved, please contact Taryn Miley at tarynmiley@springfield-schools.org.

    Compliance Documents:

    Gifted Program

    We are dedicated to supporting the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of our advanced learners through a robust support team, which includes a dedicated Gifted/UDL (Universal Design for Learning) coordinator for the district and two specialized Gifted Intervention Specialists who directly serve our students in grades K–5. All of our identification processes and instructional services are strictly aligned with Ohio's Gifted Operating Standards, ensuring a high-quality, equitable, and compliant education. We strive to provide gifted students with an enriched, flexible learning environment that fosters critical thinking, fuels intellectual curiosity, and empowers them to reach their full potential.

    For more information about our Gifted Program, please contact our Gifted/UDL Coordinator, Holliday Thomas, at hollidaythomas@springfield-schools.org.

    SLS Documents:

    Family Resources:

    Helping Children Learn, Grades K-5 Newsletters

    To help bridge the gap between school and home, we are thrilled to introduce a resource for our families: the Helping Children Learn monthly newsletter. Packed with proven, evidence-based ideas, this monthly guide delivers practical advice you can put into action right away—even on your busiest days.

    What’s Inside Every Issue?

    Each month (September through May), the newsletter will focus on quick, actionable strategies to help your child thrive, including:

    • Academic Boosters: Easy ways to build reading, language, and math skills through everyday routines.
    • Success Habits: Tips for establishing effective study habits and promoting regular school attendance.
    • Character & Growth: Guidance on helping your child develop persistence, resilience, goal-setting skills, and an enthusiasm for learning.
    • Life Skills: Practical advice for instilling respect for rules, authority, and others.

    A Strong School-Home Connection

    We believe that education is a true partnership. The Helping Children Learn newsletter is our way of giving you the tools to comfortably and confidently support your child's learning journey at home.

    Newsletters:

    Helping Children Learn meets the Title I requirements to conduct family outreach.

    Literacy

    In alignment with Ohio’s ReadOhio initiative and state-mandated Science of Reading frameworks, Springfield Local Schools has shifted its literacy practices toward an explicit, systematic approach to reading instruction. By embedding structured literacy across classrooms, the district utilizes state-approved, high-quality instructional materials that focus heavily on the core pillars of reading—including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension—while eliminating outdated methods like three-cueing. Under the district's Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, dedicated reading specialists and interventionists work collaboratively to deliver targeted, evidence-based instruction tailored to each student’s needs.

    Because learning to read requires rewiring neural pathways in the brain rather than emerging naturally, the role of families is an absolute bedrock to this process. When families partner actively with Springfield Local Schools—such as utilizing decodable books at home, tracking progress through Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plans (RIMPs), and reinforcing foundational word recognition skills—they act as the ultimate glue for sustainable literacy achievement. Bridging the gap between systematic classroom instruction and daily, reinforcing routines at home ensures that Springfield students build the confidence and neural architecture required to become skilled, lifelong readers.

    Family Resources:

    Mathematics

    In our district, we are committed to fostering a deep, lifelong understanding of mathematics for all K-12 students, fully aligned with Ohio’s Learning Standards for Mathematics and the state's strategic Ohio Math Plan. Our instructional philosophy balances rigorous conceptual understanding, real-world problem-solving, and procedural skill. A cornerstone of this foundation is a deliberate, research-based focus on math fact fluency in the early grades. By ensuring students develop automaticity and flexibility with basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, we free up their cognitive space to tackle the more complex, higher-level algebraic and geometric reasoning required in middle and high school.

    Family Resources:

    Assessments

    In Springfield Local Schools, assessments serve as a vital roadmap for tracking student growth and ensuring academic achievement across all K-12 grade levels. This comprehensive data journey begins in kindergarten with the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA), which helps educators gauge each child's early learning and development as they enter school. As students progress, the focus shifts toward state accountability with the Ohio State Tests (OSTs) beginning in grade 3, measuring proficiency and guiding instruction through the remainder of their elementary, middle, and high school careers. To support this continuum of learning, the district routinely administers formative assessments to guide day-to-day instruction and diagnostic assessments to identify specific student needs, fully satisfying all state and federal education mandates.

    Family Resources:

    Attendance

    At Springfield Local Schools, we believe that every student brings something unique and valuable to our classrooms. When your child is here, our school community is complete. Regular school attendance is one of the most powerful predictors of a student's success—not just academically, but socially and emotionally too.

    Why Attendance Matters from PK through Grade 12

    Attendance isn't just a high school issue; building strong habits starts on day one of preschool.

    • Early Milestones (PK–3): In the early grades, students are learning to read. Missing just two days a month can make it significantly harder for a child to hit critical reading milestones by the end of third grade.
    • The Middle Years (4–8): As academics become more specialized, missing days makes it easy to fall behind in subjects like math and science. Attendance in middle school is also a key indicator of whether a student will stay on track to graduate high school.
    • High School & Beyond (9–12): Every class period counts toward earning graduation credits. Consistent attendance prepares students for the realities of college, trade schools, and the workforce.

    Understanding Ohio’s Attendance Laws

    In Ohio, school attendance is tracked by hours rather than days to ensure students don't miss crucial instructional time.

    What is Chronic Absenteeism? Under Ohio law, a student is considered "chronically absent" if they miss 10% or more of the school year for any reason—whether the absences are excused (like a doctor's note) or unexcused. That adds up to just 2 days a month or about 18 days across the whole school year.

    Missing too many hours triggers state-mandated support steps. Our goal is never to punish; it is always to partner with you to get your child back on track before they fall behind.

    We Are Here to Support You

    We know that life happens. Reliable transportation, health challenges, and family emergencies can all create barriers to getting to school. If your family is struggling with school attendance, please reach out to us. Your child's teacher, school counselor, or principal can work with you to find solutions, connect you with community resources, and build a plan to support your student. Let’s work together to make this school year a success!

    Family Resources:

    Social-Emotional Learning

    At Springfield Local Schools, we are deeply committed to supporting the "whole child" by ensuring our students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Our schools follow Ohio's SEL standards and utilize a district-wide PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) framework. PBIS helps us create safe, predictable environments where students clearly understand school expectations, leading to more focus and classroom learning time.

    Our K-12 students engage with the CharacterStrong curriculum to build empathy and resilience, while our PK-3 classrooms utilize the PAX Good Behavior System to promote self-regulation.

    Kindergarten Readiness

    Think of kindergarten readiness as building a launchpad for your child's entire school journey. In Ohio, the state focuses on four key areas to ensure children can comfortably step into the classroom: social foundations (how they interact, share, and handle feelings); language and literacy (talking, listening, and early reading); mathematics (basic counting and shapes); and physical well-being (motor skills like holding pencils or buttoning a coat). When your child enters school, teachers use a gentle tool called the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R). This isn't a stressful test; it's simply a way for teachers to observe your child during normal daily activities to see where they are strong and where they might need an extra boost. By practicing these skills at home—through reading together, taking turns, and counting snacks—you and your child's teacher form a team from day one, ensuring your little one feels confident, safe, and excited to learn.

    Family Resources:

    Project PRAIRIE

    As we look out at our campus green spaces, it is hard to believe that our native urban prairies have been established for several years now! Project PRAIRIE (Prairies that Invigorate Inquiry Learning)—our incredible ongoing partnership with the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium—remains a cornerstone of the hands-on science education here at Springfield Local Schools.

    Today, we are proud to maintain four thriving prairie sites across our district: Crissey, Dorr, Holloway, and Holland. Over the years, these locations have matured into distinct, vibrant ecosystems. They aren't just beautiful to look at; they serve as permanent, outdoor learning laboratories where students step out of the classroom and directly into the role of real-world scientists.

    Impact:

    • True Citizen Science: Year after year, our students track local pollinator populations, inspect soil health, and monitor native plant species.
    • Tracking Environmental Change: Because we have had these prairies for several seasons, students can now compare data over time, noticing how the ecosystem changes and grows more resilient each year.
    • Contributing to Global Research: The data our kids collect continues to be shared with real-world conservationists, helping scientists track vital trends in biodiversity.

    Thanks to our enduring partnership with the Toledo Zoo, generations of Springfield students are discovering a lifelong love for nature and conservation. Next time you visit campus, take a moment to admire our blooming prairies and the amazing scientific discoveries happening right inside them!

    Portrait of a Graduate

    The Springfield Local Schools Portrait of a Graduate drives our shared vision for the future. It defines the essential skills, mindsets, and attributes our students need to thrive in an ever-changing world. More than just a framework, this portrait serves as our daily compass—guiding teaching, learning, and decision-making across the entire district. By aligning classroom experiences with real-world readiness, we empower both students and staff to grow, lead, and succeed. The Springfield community directly shaped our Portrait of a Graduate. Staff, parents, business partners, and community members collaborated during a year-long process to develop this vision. This collective effort culminated in 2020 with the selection of our six key competencies. Today, our staff and students deeply embrace these competencies as the ultimate roadmap for success—both in our hallways and long after graduation.

    Family Resources:

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