Ceres Unified School District, a public school district serving more than 14,000 students in California’s central valley, announced they are expanding the Hero K12 school climate improvement tool to all elementary, middle, and high schools beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. Initially implemented on the district’s Ceres High School campus in August 2018, the program has yielded measurable results. “Three years ago, our suspension rate was at 25%. Now, it’s under 6%,” reported Assistant Principal Ed Pelfrey.
The digital Hero application by SchoolMint, Inc. supports the use of positive behavior reinforcement and standardized consequences to build positive school climates and more collaborative learning spaces and improve student engagement and retention. District administrators receive actionable data visualization and insights into their school climate initiatives.
In 2016, Ceres Unified was the third highest suspending district in the state. “In the past, we used suspension as our main consequence,” said Jay Simmonds, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services for the district. “More than 12% of our kids were being suspended. We realized we had to come up with something different to become less punitive and more positive.”
Results including the marked reduction in student suspensions at Ceres High School led the district to roll out Hero across its 20 schools. “The Ceres High School campus has become a more positive environment for students and staff,” Simmonds said. “Our goal is to replicate that success across all schools, improving the relationships between students, teachers and staff, and supporting students as they focus on their learning.”
“We’re honored to partner with this forward-thinking district and support their commitment to improving outcomes for all of their students,” said Bryan MacDonald, CEO of SchoolMint. “By building on the successful pilot of Hero, Ceres will be able to more effectively implement and track their school climate initiative across all school campuses. Schools can configure the tool to support their individual needs while the district will gain overall control over program goals, measurement, and fidelity.”
About Ceres Unified School District
The Ceres Unified School District serves more than 14,000 students in grades PreK-12, as well as adults seeking personal and professional enrichment through a comprehensive adult education program. We focus on quality instruction and utilize a multi-tiered system of academic and social-emotional supports to ensure that all students learn. Our vision is that students will be academically prepared to achieve their full potential, supported by and contributing to the community.
About SchoolMint
SchoolMint Inc. is dedicated to helping educators create bright, sustainable futures. Serving over 4 million students and more than 10,000 schools across the country, SchoolMint is the leading K-12 provider of solutions for strategic enrollment management, student behavior improvement – Hero, and school safety – SureWatch. SchoolMint is transforming application & lottery management, registration/re-enrollment, tardy tracking, and positive behavior reinforcement to make school operations more efficient and fiscally sound. With products that put the family experience first, while generating powerful insights, the company is helping all schools across the K-12 landscape attract, enroll, and engage students. Their industry-leading SchoolFinder and MultApply products are bringing equity to school choice and search, and their innovative solutions are making unified enrollment, school climate, and culture improvement, and other student-centric ideals possible. SchoolMint is backed by BV Investment Partners and has U.S. offices in San Francisco, Miami, and New York. Learn more at SchoolMint.com.
