Eagle Crest Charter Academy

As either a big sister, aunt, volunteer, school parent or staff paraprofessional, Lindsea Hansen has been walking the halls of Eagle Crest Charter Academy since it opened in 1997 in her hometown of Holland, Michigan. 

Six years ago, she joined the school as a K-2 paraprofessional. Inspired by the school’s veteran teachers, its supportive staff and the diversity of its student body, Hansen worked to earn a degree in elementary education.  

When school opened on Aug. 28, she walked Eagle Crest’s halls into her own classroom as a 2nd grade teacher. She knows many of her students from her work as a parapro and is guided by foundational advice from her mentor. 

“You have to find something in every child that you admire and like. Students don’t learn from a teacher if they don’t like them,” explained Hansen, one of many staff who have longstanding ties to the school. “And if you find one thing, you’ll find one more thing, and more after that.” 

Eagle Crest, where some 58 percent of students are from economically disadvantaged households, stands out among Michigan elementary schools for its exceptional student achievement on 2021-2022 state assessments, which is a credit to dedicated staff like Hansen and her fellow educators. For instance, Eagle Crest students from Hispanic backgrounds and economically disadvantaged households exceeded statewide averages in both English Language Arts and math for grades 4, 6, 7, and 8, according to a statewide data analysis by The Education Trust-Midwest. And the school’s 5th graders from economically disadvantaged homes exceeded statewide standards in English Language Arts, while Hispanic students exceeded the statewide average in both English Language Arts and math. For 13 years, Eagle Crest boasts that it has outperformed the Holland district on statewide assessments.

Eagle Crest’s foundation for student achievement comes from a veteran teaching staff, rigorous weekly or bi-weekly review of assessment data and deploying intervention specialists and paraprofessionals to aid students inside and outside of the classroom, as well as a familial atmosphere that keeps people like Hansen invested in the school’s success. 

“We have a lot of needs and a lot of different families. We have the whole spectrum – from very economically-disadvantaged families who see their kids basically when they pick them up and drop them off at school, to the families who have someone who can stay at home during the day and volunteer here at school,” notes Eagle Crest Principal Louise Moore. 

Teachers are “just constantly looking at what students are doing and how we can move students forward,” said Moore. “What makes us successful is one-on-one small group intervention – what we’ve been good at.” 

Eagle Crest was the eighth charter school established in Michigan by National Heritage Academies, a for-profit charter management company headquartered in nearby Grand Rapids. 

The school’s demographics diverge from the city of Holland, known for its Dutch heritage and annual Tulip Time festival. Holland’s population, according to the U.S. Census, is about 75 percent white, 24 percent Latino, six percent Black and two percent Asian.

There are some 40 languages represented among Eagle Crest families, including Spanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian, Hindi and Polish. Of some 650 students, 40 percent are Latino, 18 percent Asian and two percent Black.  

The area has attracted diverse immigrant communities for several reasons. Latino migrants have long worked its farms, and many have made permanent homes in the area. Refugees from Southeast Asia also have settled here through the robust efforts of local religious-affiliated organizations. 

The diversity is celebrated by staff at Eagle Crest. 

“I made the move over to Holland, to Eagle Crest Charter Academy to work with a more diverse population with more needs,” said Moore, who arrived at Eagle Crest as its principal in 2017, after working as a principal at an elementary school in nearby Hudsonville. “And it’s been a really good fit.” 

Deploying assessment data 

Part of the school’s success is tied to its acknowledgment of the needs of its diverse population. An important element is regular analysis of students’ assessment data to determine where students may need extra assistance. 

“Our teachers meet weekly to not only plan, but also to look at data,” says Moore, “and make sure that we’re providing whatever’s needed for each individual student.” 

Eagle Crest uses assessment tools such as AIMSweb (Achievement Improvement Monitoring System) and Fountas & Pinnell to track and benchmark students’ math and reading skills. In addition, there are also assessments of skill mastery as students complete units of lessons. 

In elementary school math, for example, teachers present eight comprehensive units of skills to cover over a school year. There are skill assessments at the beginning of each unit and at the end of each unit – and quizzes in between. 

Math periods for each grade at Eagle Crest last 90 minutes. The teacher provides a lesson for 60 minutes, and then students work in small groups for 30 minutes. During that 30-minute period, the classroom teacher circulates among the groups to answer questions and provide help, while an intervention specialist meets with students who need some individualized help. 

“We take a lot of pride in our interventions. So, every grade level has 30 minutes of math intervention a day,” explains Elizabeth Orians, the school’s math specialist for intervention. “We look at the data from our assessments, and we pull small groups and analyze that and really meet the kids where they’re at. And we try to raise their confidence and really build that confidence.” 

In her interventions, Orians provides different strategies to solve problems. For math students who are English Language Learners, math manipulatives are an effective tool for hands-on learning. 

There are some very rewarding moments when she’s stopped in the hallway by a student letting her know how well they did on quizzes or tests: “I used the strategy you used in our group,” she’ll hear. 

Kari Gruppens, a 4th grade teacher at Eagle Crest for 19 years, says regular quizzes and assessments, supplemented by her own interactions with students, supply her with vital data. 

“I can identify kids that need a little bit more instruction and take notes on that. I can pull that group and work with them in a small group,” said Gruppens. “And I think that makes the biggest difference.” 

When one of her students suddenly struggled, she realized family issues may have interrupted some lesson absorption.  So, Gruppens had math intervention specialist Orians pull the student out “just for that one unit to help him boost himself back up.” 

The assessment drill

Eagle Crest’s achievements in math assessments particularly are noteworthy. Here are some examples. Some 63.3 percent of its 4th graders with Latino backgrounds achieved math proficiency in 2021-2022 statewide assessments compared to the overall statewide average of 36.7 percent.  Some 48 percent of its 8th graders with Latino backgrounds and 57.6 percent of its 8th graders from economically disadvantaged homes achieved math proficiency, compared to the overall statewide average of 36.2 percent. 

Eagle Crest Charter Academy Math teacher Hollie Terhorst, who teaches upper grades, prepares her students for assessments by using “Eighth Grade Math Minutes: One Hundred Minutes to Better Basic Skills” by Doug Stoffel. 

The goal is to get her students to correctly answer 10 math questions in a minute. They range from basic (12 x 6) to pre-algebraic.  An example of a Minute Math world problem: “Janet’s dinner costs $7.50. If she wants to leave a 10 % tip, how much extra should she leave?” 

“I give them three minutes, and then I keep cutting the time until we get closer and closer to a minute,” explains Terhorst. The drills help students get used to assessment material, such as how to fill in bubble sheets. 

To prepare students who are English Language Learners (ELL) for math assessments, Terhorst makes sure students know to look for clues that give context to what to do with the numbers – words such as “each” and “all together.” 

Terhorst credits frequent in-school assessments, based on tests and quizzes, to provide her and other teachers with up-to-the-minute data on students’ mastery of the material. She also uses DreamBox Learning software to engage students in learning math concepts through games and animated presentations. 

“DreamBox is like a game. It gives them the topics that they have not been proficient in,” said Terhorst. “If they’ve already been proficient in a standard, it gives them the next standard. I can assign individually per student. I can assign to a whole group.” 

The language of learning 

Krystal Lankheet is one of three intervention specialists at Eagle Crest who work with English Language Learners. On a sunny day in May, she’s with a small class of 5th graders, all native Spanish speakers and relative newcomers to American schools. 

“Many of our students, like 95 percent, are students who actually grew up here,” explains Lankheet. “But their parents speak a different language at home, so they just don’t have the academic vocabulary to keep up in class. So, you wouldn’t know that they would struggle, but they typically fall behind quickly.” 

For students “that have shown a bigger need for intervention, we pull them out,” said Lankheet. “But the ones that we think might still flourish in the classroom, we actually push into their classes and help them in there.” 

Her students this day are inquisitive and attentive. The image on the board features a variety of dishes, evoking a restaurant menu, and it seems to activate salivary glands and brain cells. There are photos of pita bread and hummus, rice and beans, and other foods. 

“If you want to use Spanish, you must ask first,” she tells them, and recites in English how to do the asking. 

“May I ask a question in Spanish,” she states. And they repeat as a group. 

Lankheet teaches them a chant: “Buy some rice, for a tasty treat. Red chili rice is good to eat. Buy some bread, for a tasty treat. Pita bread, is good to eat.” 

A tool available to school staff and school families is Talking Points software, which translates texts to parents in their chosen language. And parents can text back in their native language, which is translated for the teachers. 

That helps teachers make “strong partnerships with families at home,” said principal Moore. “It’s been more important that we connect with families on a regular basis, making sure that they understand what’s going on and that they’re partnering with us,” said Moore 

Around a small table in the hallway outside primary grades, teacher Monica Taylor is meeting with four kindergarteners who are English Language Learners. She taught 1st grade for 16 years at the school and is now in her 2nd year as an ELL interventionist. 

In a typical school day, she meets with four groups of kindergarteners who are English Language Learners, and groups from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th grades. Plus, she provides one-on-one teaching for 35 minutes a day with a newcomer in 1st grade. 

Taylor opens the school week with “Good News Monday. It’s when she encourages her students to share stories about their weekend, and they are excited that warm weather has allowed for vigorous outdoor playtime. One little girl said she’d been to Mexico on her days off. After some back and forth, with Taylor quizzing her about whether she took a plane or drove to her destination, and some hints from Taylor, the little girl reconsidered and determined she’d been to Chicago. 

“Teachers,” says Taylor, “are detectives.” 

Enhancing cultural richness  

Every day, Eagle Crest students pass by a wall adorned with toothy images of grinning mouths and the saying “We All Smile in the Same Language.” The school’s staff also credits some of its success to promoting shared values while honoring the richness of its multi-cultural community.  

Each month, as part of the National Heritage Academies curriculum to instill morals and traits of good character, the school promotes a virtue – such as respect, compassion, wisdom or encouragement. At the school’s Moral Focus assembly, students are recognized for when their work or their actions embody the trait of the month. 

In April 2023, Eagle Crest highlighted the importance of “Courage.” A newcomer to the school, an English Language Learner, was singled out for recognition and her parents invited to attend the assembly. 

The student “has gone above and beyond to show courage,” teacher Kayleigh Alstat proclaimed to the assembly, explaining the young girl had recently moved to Michigan from another country.   

“She has not only had to transition to a new school, but also is overcoming the challenge of learning a new language as well,” Alstat said. “She comes to school every day with a smile on her face and ready to learn.” 

And then, speaking directly to her student so the girl and her parents understood exactly,  Alstat said in Spanish she learned for the occasion: “Eres muy valiente y me encanta tenerte en mi clase. ¡Gran trabajo! ¡Estoy tan orgulloso de ti!”

Translation: You are so brave, and I love having you in my class. Great job! I am so proud of you!  

The applause reverberated through the assembly and the smiles were universal. For Eagle Crest Charter Academy, it was another occasion to build hope.