Franklin Elementary School - Le Mars, IA

Franklin Elementary is a K-5 building with self-contained classrooms that include a K-5 resource room, a K-2 special education room, Title 1 reading, Reading Recovery, and art, music, and physical education. Franklin has a student population of around 275 students in grades kindergarten through fifth. Of those students, 39% qualify for free/reduced-price lunches and approximately 89% are white/Caucasian. The curriculum is currently going through changes as the district begins to implement the Iowa Core Curriculum at all grade levels and Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are being used for more teacher collaboration. Data-driven instruction with a focus on student learning is beginning to be emphasized at the various grade levels through the PLC process. Guided reading, The Daily 5, and CAFÉ have been used at all grade levels for the instruction of the Iowa Core ELA standards. There is a wide variety of opportunities for students to develop to their full potential. Students at Franklin are empowered through the following opportunities: a schoolwide computer-based reading comprehension and assessment program, supplemental reading instruction with the Title I reading teacher, which takes place in small groups every day for approximately 30 minutes, resource room services to students K-5 and special education services to the district's K-2 students with more severe disabilities that emphasizes integration into the regular education classrooms as much as possible, and an emphasis on the reading of nonfiction texts and increasing the level of text complexity students are expected to read as they advance through each grade level.