After reviewing parent comments, I can agree with most of them. We have had a student in this school system for 14 years. And we have left this system for options in Ames. The top down leadership style is rigid and not a 'can-do' form of leadership. School boards hands are tied by federal and state regulations
... Read more everywhere. The lack of field trips, shortage of teachers, and the negative comments BY teachers are real problems locally. A few bad apples have spoiled the barrel. Time for a change for those folks who don't love to teach anymore-this district pay scale is one of the highest in the state and yet teacher complaints fill the lounge. Public schooling cannot meet the needs of every person. That is a fact. Parents make a choice and sacrifice for kids-it is worth it to research and visit your child's school rooms! Read less
Posted by a parent on 07/16/09
this is a great school, small with focus on the basics. Kids are not 'forced to grow up too fast' here and they can explore the world in a safe environment.
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Posted by a parent on 02/23/09
I disagree completely about the principal (Mrs. Hartzler) being such a wonderful principal, although she may know every child's name, she is a very cold woman and belongs in corporate business, not working with children and their families. As I see it, she is really the biggest problem, though I am
... Read more in agreement with the other two parents about the school's total lack of necessary improvement towards the quality of the school system. Though there are quality teachers and staff employed at the school, the aforementioned factors have made the entire experience with Roland Story an absolute disappointment. Read less
Posted by a parent on 01/30/09
Our experience has been dissapointing. I agree that the test scores are great, and most of the staff has been tolerant and kind. However, I feel that there is so much more that the school could be doing to improve, and aren't.
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Posted by a parent on 11/20/07
Our overall experience with this school has been so-so. The teachers are wonderful, as is the general staff at this school, however it definitely is a small town atmosphere with small town beliefs. I have heard time and time again of this schools philosophy of 'if it is not broke, do not fix it', which
... Read more at times is quite ridiculous. Times are changing and this school needs to change with it using careful review and consideration in areas such as security, fairness, and utilization of resources available to them. While we have no complaints in regards to the clearly excellent test scores, we really wish our children were exposed to a bit more culture, and had better examples being set in regards to tolerance and accountability. Read less
Posted by a parent on 03/25/07
Roland-Story is an exceptional school. The principal, Mrs. Hartzler, not only knows each child's name, but will step in to teach a class or help with a disruptive child whenever needed as well as keeping track of each child's progress. They integrate children with mental and physical challenges into
... Read more regular classrooms and provide additional teaching aids for these children. Children are the priority of the school. My son was allowed to be in Title 1 reading to help him meet Roland-Story's standards which are higher than those the state of Iowa & the UnitedStates government set. The teachers are wonderful. Each teacher is concerned about every child, even children not in their class. They believe in this school and what they teach and therefore stay in the school system. They also have a wonderful full time guidance counselor. My son greets all of his teachers with hugs and they love it! Read less
School Profile for Roland - Story Elementary School
Test scores
Enrollment
Programs
Resources
ITBS* Test Scores
Grade Level: 4
Test Year: 2008
Roland - Story Elementary School
Roland - Story Cmty School District
Iowa
* In 2007-2008 Iowa used the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) to test students in grades 3 through 8 in reading and math. The results for grades 4 and 8 are displayed on GreatSchools profiles. The scores reflect the performance of students enrolled for the full academic year. The ITBS is a norm-referenced test, which means it measures how well students in Iowa score in comparison to their peers nationwide. Students who score at the 40th percentile are considered proficient. The goal is for all students to score at or above the proficient level.
Student enrollment:
390
Students per teacher:
12
Full-time teachers:
32
Number of classrooms:
19
Arts
Art
Computer Science
Computer Science
Special Education
Early Childhood Special Needs, Gifted Students, Speech/Language Pathologists, Title I
Vocational Education
Health, Phys Ed
*The resources listed are programs that the institution is staffed to support. Staffing for a program does not guarantee that it will be offered. This content is provided by the institution and may be incomplete. The institution may offer programs not listed here. Please contact the school directly for additional details.
Advanced Placement
AP classes are college-level classes offered at the high school level. Once a student completes an AP class and passes a final comprehensive examination conducted by the College Board, the student earns college credit for the course. AP classes are specific and not to be confused with other higher-level classes such as honors classes.
Before/After School
"Extended day" programs where the school day is extended before and after school to accommodate working parents. These programs should not be confused with common after school clubs or athletic activities.
Gifted and Talented
A school system may identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. A brief description of each area of giftedness or talent as defined by the Office of Gifted and Talented:
general intellectual ability or talent - high intelligence test score (usually two standard deviations above the mean), and high levels of vocabulary, memory, abstract work knowledge and abstract reasoning;
specific academic aptitude or talent in one area such as mathematics or language arts;
creative and productive thinking, the ability to produce new ideas;
leadership ability, the ability to direct individuals or groups to a common decision or action;
visual and performing arts, special talents in visual art, music, dance, drama, or other related studies;
psychomotor ability, such as practical, spatial, mechanical, and physical skills.
Vocation/Technical Curriculum
Vocational and/or technical courses offered within a comprehensive school, usually a senior high school.
Special Education Classes
A school or program within a school that provides services and training to students with moderate to severe mental and/or physical disabilities.
Adult Education Classes
Programs offering GED or equivalent courses for adults within regular schools, whether classes are held during evening or daytime schedules.
English as Second Language
English language classes for students whose first language is not English.
Homes for sale near Roland - Story Elementary School
Story City schools — Roland - Story Elementary School is located at 900 Hillcrest Ave, Story City IA 50248. 900 Hillcrest Ave is in the 50248 ZIP code in Story City, IA The school district for Roland - Story Elementary School is the Roland - Story Cmty School District. Roland - Story Elementary School is a Public school that serves grade levels PK - 4.
School information provided by OnBoard Informatics Copyright (c) 2008. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
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Parent Reviews
These reviews include feedback from parents, students, former students, administrators and other staff. This feedback
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school resources, classroom and teacher ratios, etc. The reviews are provided by GreatSchools.
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Test Score Ratings
Test score ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results reported by this state. These ratings may help
you compare similar schools in this district or area. For example, a rating of 8 indicates that, on average, students in
this school scored better than 70% of the students in the state on the same tests. We have indicated below which tests
were used in calculating these ratings. Other factors should be considered when comparing schools, including teacher
experience, academic programs, extracurricular activities, resources for special needs students, etc. These ratings are
not provided by the state Department of Education, which may have their own rating systems.
