Classroom observations and professional development drive improvement.
When students are actively involved in their own learning and feel positively about their learning environment, they are much more likely to retain what’s being taught and develop critical thinking skills. Sumter School District in South Carolina wanted to find ways to spur students’ learning engagement and to gauge the extent of that engagement.
Sumter School District began a soft rollout of the Cognia Effective Learning Environments Observation Tool® (eleot®) in 2018-2019 to promote a data-driven, learner-centric approach to student engagement and effective learning. By 2023-2024, eleot observations were fully implemented across 24 schools, with 2,700 observations establishing baseline data. Cognia experts trained school leaders to triangulate eleot data with other sources, using insights to refine classroom practices and tailor professional development.
Our partnership contributed to improved student performance districtwide. From 2021 to 2024, state assessment scores in the district increased 57% in ELA and 45% in math.