Fredonia Early Childhood Center is one of just 500 schools in the U.S. and Canada to be named a Model Professional Learning Community at Work by Solution Tree, a provider of educational strategies for districts around the nation, including Nacogdoches ISD.
“In fact, Fredonia is one of just a handful of Pre-K campuses to receive the Model PLC distinction,” principal Charles Zemanek said. “It means we have successfully shown that our program and that our collaborative practices work for students.”
The designation for Fredonia means the school’s culture and core beliefs align closely to those highlighted by Solution Tree as being essential components of successful practices, Zemanek said.
“Most importantly, the students are the ones who benefit most from our practices,” said Zemanek. “High levels of learning are ensured the moment our kids walk through the door each morning.”
To be named a Model PLC school, Fredonia had to meet strict criteria, including sharing with Solution Tree clear and precise evidence of improved student learning. Once measurable results are seen during the process, the school must then explain its practices, structures, and culture and submit its application for consideration by the vendor’s PLC Review Committee.
“What this means is that our teachers live up to our mission of ensuring high levels of learning for all students,” said Zemanek. “This recognition was earned by their dedication, passion, and professional practices that each of our teachers and teacher assistants bring to the school every day.”
Since 2021, NISD’s assessments of academic growth of Pre-K students has improved noticeably, Zemanek said. Instead of lagging behind state averages, assessments of NISD Pre-K students now meet or exceed the Texas norm.
“When tasked with building a stand alone Pre-K campus, our team knew we would have to work on the culture in early childhood,” Zemanek said. “During the 2021-22 academic year, Pre-K classes were still spread around four NISD elementary campuses, so we worked with those four schools to lay the groundwork for improvement, doing a lot of culture building along the way. Last year, 91 percent of our Pre-K students were at or above the state benchmark in reading and math.”
In the most recently completed school year, NISD Pre-K students were placed at one campus, the former Nettie Marshall school, while ongoing renovations converted Fredonia into an early childhood center. Teachers moved into the newly redesigned building over the summer, and students arrived there for classes in August.
“It’s awesome to see what’s taking place with our Pre-K efforts,” said NISD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo. “This is so important, because if we can get it right at this early age, we put our students in position to be successful for the next 12 years.”
The Model PLC honor places Fredonia among the top campuses around the country served by Solution Tree, Zemanek said. “When a student goes into a model PLC campus, then you know the teachers and staff at that school are operating at a very high caliber of performance.”
Only a handful of Model PLC schools received this designation in Texas. Out of the more than 9,000 campuses located in the state, 106 schools earned the Model PLC designation.
“That’s 106 out of roughly 9,000 campuses in Texas, which means only one percent have earned the label of a Model PLC campus,” Zemanek said. “To have that happen here in NISD with our early childhood program is an amazing return on our investment in early learning.
“I’m incredibly proud of our staff for making that happen.”
