Learn how this school district in a small farming community has used the resources and tools available in the Educator Effectiveness System to improve the experience for their teachers and students. “Our district is the poorest in the state and that is a key block to teacher development but the Educator Effectiveness System is cost-effective and supplies everything we need.” Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas

1. Educator Effectiveness
System Case Study
Small Rural School District Increases Student Engagement and Success
with Effective Teaching Practices
“The Educator Effectiveness System is making a positive
impact on our teachers and as a result, increasing the
quality learning experiences of our students. Administrators
are witnessing significant changes in the schools.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas
Profile
The settlers of Cherokee, Kansas were eager to establish
an education resource for their children and opened the
town’s first school without delay. A mining settlement,
it rapidly became a thriving boomtown until the demand
for coal fell, mines shut down, businesses closed, and
people left. The town nearly disappeared but the fertile
land appealed to a few who settled in and built productive
farmsteads.
Today, Cherokee is a quiet farming community of 714
people with the goal of providing good education in their
school district, Southeast USD 247 serving approximately
640 students in five schools. Despite a declining enrollment,
shrinking budget, as well as difficulties recruiting and
retaining teachers, there are also student advantages in
a small, rural school system such as personal attention, a
safe environment, and opportunities for everyone to be
involved in extracurricular activities. District highlights
have included:
• A unique, state-leading K-12 Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math (STEM) program.
• Additional high school courses and high school credit
classes offered at the junior high level.
• 100% reimbursement of dual credit college courses for
high school students earning a B or better.
• A partnership with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air
Patrol has earned USD 247 a $600,000 grant to supply
afterschool learning opportunities and an eight week
summer camp.
Focus
Located in a disadvantaged area, USD 247 knows that
personal issues affect many students such as no computer
access at home, inadequate nutrition, busy parents with
two jobs, and working students with limited study time. In
an effort to incorporate the highest quality personalized
educational experience for all students, it is focusing on
the areas below:

2. • Authentic student engagement
• Differentiated instruction
• Data to drive instruction
• Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports
Solutions
Optimistic, innovative, and committed to increasing
student success through teacher growth, Southeast
USD 247 Superintendent Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D. is
an amazing administrator who is transforming local
education. He was intrigued in 2011 when he heard of
PD 360 and rapidly recognized its great potential. He
began finding ways to save district monies, including the
restructuring of a $1.4 million School Improvement Grant.
He then purchased the Educator Effectiveness System
(EES) with its components PD 360, Observation 360,
Evidence 360, and Common Core 360 to manage district
focuses.
• Dr. Fortmayer has encouraged authentic student
engagement for higher achievement but the teachers
have struggled. PD 360 is training teachers with
programs such as Classroom Management Framework,
Conscious Classroom Management, Teaching
Strategies, and Working on the Work, all showing
teachers using the practices in real classrooms.
• To ensure that everyone receives an individualized
education, PD 360 programs Differentiated Instruction
for All Students, Differentiated Instruction Applied,
Practical Student-Centered Learning, and Teaching
Strategies are clarifying differentiated instruction for
USD 247 teachers.
• PD 360 programs like Using Data to Close the
Achievement Gap and Data Driven Decisions to
Improve Results are developing the teachers’
comprehension of using data to drive instruction.
“Data is the foremost tool for identifying areas of need in
classrooms. As teachers learn to track the spikes and dips
in achievement, they can reproduce the triumphs, boost
the spikes, and curb the dips.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas
• Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) is a
framework for Kansas schools to maintain the success
of each child in the areas of reading, math, and behavior
by aligning resources. It is beneficial to identify those
requiring intervention as early as possible. PD 360
supports USD 247 and its realization of MTSS with the
largest on-demand professional progress suite available
that includes an ever-expanding library of over 2,500
videos on 130 topics.
IMPLEMENTATION AND USAGE
After EES training, USD 247 teachers were required to
watch PD 360’s Compliance Series which includes safety
concerns such as blood borne pathogens, bullying, and
harassment.
As encouragement to explore programs, $50.00 was given
to each teacher completing a PD 360 scavenger hunt and
$25.00 is given to the teacher with the highest monthly
usage. Both incentives have worked very well and teachers
have quickly learned to appreciate the program’s ease and
flexibility.
To accomplish professional growth goals, USD 247 utilizes
EES components in a variety of ways:
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
PD 360 is a perfect resource for PLC planning and
structure. Groups choose a focus, watch a video segment
either individually before the meeting or together
during the meeting, and then open discussions about
implementation.
Licensure Renewal Points
Because PD 360 is convenient and user-friendly, USD
247 teachers are pleased that usage is applicable to the
required license renewal hours.
Professional Growth Plans
As part of the evaluation process, all USD 247 teachers
have professional growth plans. Relevant to each teacher’s
specific needs, PD 360 programs are incorporated into the
plans.
www.schoolimprovement.com | 801-572-1153

3. Cost Effective
With continued state budget cuts, Dr. Fortmayer has
found PD 360 to be more economical than traditional
conferences and because educators have unlimited access,
it is never just a one-shot training. EES has met his concern
of finding development that is premium yet affordable.
“Our district is the poorest in the state and that is a
key block to teacher development but the Educator
Effectiveness System is cost-effective and supplies
everything we need.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas
Student Aptitude
USD 247’s testing scores have been the lowest in the state,
but they are steadily rising and are now in the top three
of its peers. Students are reaching advanced proficiency
scores in reading and math. They are also achieving
“standard of excellence” ratings in reading and math as well
as 100 percent in science.
Leadership Skills
PD 360 is not only for teachers but also administrators
with leader-specific training programs such as Motion
Leadership by Michael Fullan and Principals as Leaders
of Change.
“PD 360 programs help administrators build credibility with
their teachers with continued leadership training to know
and understand the best classroom practices.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas
Teacher Enthusiasm
USD 247 teachers like what they are seeing on PD 360.
Their enthusiasm for its personalized flexibility as well as
their own professional growth is shown by their strong
usage numbers.
www.schoolimprovement.com | 801-572-1153
Common Core State Standards
Common Core 360 has all the tools and resources needed
to prepare teachers. It has an ever-growing library of 300+
training videos, including 70 in-class examples of teachers
applying Common Core.
“Using Common Core 360 for standards alignment is very
popular with our teachers. They are so pleased with the
Math and Language Arts lesson plans that they would like
plans for every area.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas
BENEFITS
Teacher Accountability
In the past, it was difficult for supervisors to verify how
much teacher learning occurred and more importantly, if it
had any effect. Now USD 247 regularly tracks participation
and follow-through.
“Most teachers are not ready for training that is completely
online, so follow-up is vital. The accountability in PD 360’s
reflection use, instruction practices, observations, and
teacher evaluations are essential to improvement.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas
Improved Observations
Observations are indispensable in schools and Observation
360 makes them more efficient for administrators and
valuable for teachers. In addition to the extensive tools
for performing detailed observations, principals can give
teachers immediate feedback recommending pertinent PD
360 videos, all on their mobile device.
“PD 360 improves our walkthroughs with nationally vetted
best practices; Observation 360 helps us take instruction
to a new level, while Evidence 360 makes the whole
process easy and effective. Personal responsibility is
growing because more dialogue is happening between
leaders and teachers.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas

4. www.schoolimprovement.com | 801-572-1153
About School Improvement
Founded in 1991 by teachers, School Improvement
Network has spent decades researching and documenting
the best practices in education. From this research, School
Improvement Network has developed the Educator
Effectiveness System. This system delivers a process to
improve teacher practice, and gives educators a set of
powerful tools to drive the process. Research shows that
districts and schools that use the tools in the Educator
Effectiveness System produce better teachers and,
as a result, experience dramatic increases in student
achievement, driving up student test scores by as much as
30 percent in a single year. School Improvement Network
works with thousands of schools and districts in every
state and around the world and has visited over 3,500
classrooms to document best practices in action. Learn
more at www.schoolimprovement.com
Southeast USD 247 PD 360 Usage
February 2013 – March 2014
Registered Users 63
Collective Programs Viewed 327
Collective Segments Viewed 822
Collective Minutes Viewed 6,165
A 2011 independent study of PD 360 use in schools like
those in Southeast USD 247 showed elevated minutes
per user resulted in more than twelve times the gains in
math proficiency rates and twice the gains in reading
proficiency rates than district averages.
Math Change
2.50
2.00
High Min/User
Schools
District’s Average
1.50
1.00
0.05
0.00
Comparative Change for
High Min/User Schools vs. Districts
Reading Change
12.0 times
greater gains in
Math vs. District
71.5% greater
gains in Reading
vs. District
CONCLUSION
As a forward-looking administrator, Dr. Fortmayer
recognized the need for better development and was
proactive in acquiring PD 360, Observation 360, Common
Core 360, and Evidence 360 for his teachers. His tenacity
is paying off with skilled teachers and outstanding
education for every student.
“PD 360 is revolutionizing education with practices to en-
gage every student at every level. It is real, hands-on, and
at the grassroots of what teachers want: the capability to
search and find what they need when they need it and the
ability to watch real classrooms to see the implementation.”
Dr. Glenn A. Fortmayer, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools, Southeast USD 247, Kansas