FREDERICK — Less than half an hour from the Texas border, state testing data indicate a rural, high-needs school district is outperforming most of its peers by focusing on individual students’ literacy needs early and often.
By tracking individual student benchmarks to enable early and intentional intervention, Frederick Elementary School has become an outlier in a state hampered by poor education rankings. Across Oklahoma last year, 39.9 percent of fifth graders achieved English language proficiency based on state academic standards. In Frederick, 59.4 percent achieved proficiency.
Evidence that the Tillman County school’s attention to literacy has become part of the school’s foundation stands in the office of principal Laura Yeager, where a color-coded “data wall” tracks individual third, fourth and fifth-grade students’ progress. Plastic pockets span from floor to ceiling, with student names shifted up and down the red, yellow and green ladders based on regularly assessed reading benchmarks.
“We have a comprehension group. We have a high-achieving comprehension group, we have one that is more struggling with a few skills but they are out of the phonemic awareness,” Yeager said. “And then we might have students that come in that are struggling with silent ‘E.’”
Yeager said students experiencing the same challenges or growth points are placed together for specific instruction called “WIN” time — “whatever I need.”
“It has proven very successful,” said Shannon Vanderburg, the superintendent of Frederick Public Schools. “The other part is the willingness of our teachers to work hard.”
One of those hardworking teachers is Danna Akins, one of two reading specialists at Frederick Elementary School. Akins said she grew up in the 3,500-person community and worked as a reading teacher in the district for 14 years before pursuing a master’s degree to become a reading specialist. She said the increase in tools that allow instructors to “pinpoint and fill in holes” for students’ literary progress has enabled success.
“We are tracking each individual kid and getting what they need,” Akins said. “As soon as they get what they need and we test them, and they move up, then we move them to a new group.”
Akins said teachers in Frederick see each student as their own and work together, at least 45 minutes per day, to bring them up to speed. That level of attention, according to Vanderburg, makes all the difference.
“It does not matter if you are a third grader or fifth grader. If this is the thing you need to work on, we get you in, we work on that, we concentrate on it,” Vanderburg said. “We will get you through.”
Frederick has also bought into the practice of retaining students from year to year when additional reading improvement is necessary. On average, Yeager said the elementary school holds back about five students per year, and the practice begins as early as kindergarten. But the district only retains a student after a series of interventions and conversations with respective parents.
“These decisions [are] made in grades kindergarten through second grade with the parents’ or guardians’ agreement after several meetings throughout the year,” Yeager said. “If a teacher sees signs that a student is struggling to master grade-level reading skills, those conversations are started early so that if the question of retention comes up, it is not a surprise.”
Courtney Burleson, an occupational therapist with Frederick Public Schools, said she held her son back in kindergarten after his teacher pointed out that he was not picking up phonics. She said she is glad she made the decision.
“He is doing really well now, so I think it was a very good choice,” Burleson said.
She said she noticed his confidence growing during his second year in kindergarten. While Burleson’s son was one of the oldest in that class, he had been one of the youngest the first time around.
“His confidence skyrocketed just because he had already done it. He felt like he was the older one — big confidence boost for him,” Burleson said. “I think it has just carried over the last two years with him.”
Vanderburg, who had two of her own children retained for reading purposes, said the frustration that comes with retention goes away at the start of the second year because “they are a little ahead of where they started.”
Of course, not all parents are willing to have their child repeat a grade — a likely pain point when the Oklahoma Legislature discusses reading reforms and a potential return to strict retention rules for its 2026 session.
Even Burleson said that, had her son not been one of the youngest in his class, making the decision would have been more difficult.
“We continue to alert parents to reading struggles and suggest retention when appropriate. As always, some parents are receptive, some are not,” Yeager said.
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‘Love to go back’
Frederick Elementary School’s success might be surprising to some, considering that Tillman County’s poverty rate sits slightly above the state average. About 81 percent of the school’s students are considered economically disadvantaged, roughly 20 percent higher than the statewide average.
With sustained success in the rural community, other school districts have inquired about how to replicate the results.
This spring, Madill Public Schools, where only 22 percent of students are advanced or proficient in English and 80.3 percent are considered economically disadvantaged, sent staff members to Frederick to observe and learn. Madill Elementary School principal Kristi Birdsong said the 145-mile trip between Madill — a 4,100-person community in Marshall County — and Frederick proved to be productive.
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“We went out there and learned that for their intervention with their struggling readers, they have been using the 95 Percent Group. It is a phonics program for intervention,” Birdsong said. “We needed a structured program for our struggling readers at our elementary school, and this seemed to fit what we needed, and they were so happy with it.”
Now, Birdsong said Madill’s elementary reading specialist “has gotten all of the kids screened that need to be screened” and is working to determine appropriate next steps for interventions.
While the strategies Madill leaders learned are fresh and a work in progress, Birdsong said she sees signs of growth and hopes to continue working with Frederick, specifically because of the two districts’ comparable English-language-learner populations.
“We are always trying to find ways to help those students learn English, learn the academic skills that they need,” Birdsong said. “We did not get to spend a lot of time on the [English-learner] part, so I would love to go back (to Frederick) because they have great (English-learner) scores.”
At Madill’s elementary level, 28.8 percent of students are English learners, compared to 22.6 percent at Frederick Elementary School, both more than double the statewide percentage. Of 457 Oklahoma elementary schools that report English-learn proficiency data, Madill ranks 343rd. Frederick ranks seventh.
Vanderburg said Frederick gets its average English-learner student to proficiency two years faster than average, in part because of his staff’s experience.
“I have a wonderful teacher here who was a migrant student. That is her focus, and she knows exactly what they need. She does reading centers on Saturdays, and parents can come as well,” Vanderburg said.
Oklahoma State Board of Education member Ryan Deatherage, whose board district covers Frederick, commended the southwest Oklahoma district’s work.
“We commend Frederick Public Schools for the progress their students are making,” Deatherage said. “Ranking sixth out of 578 elementary schools for overall achievement and seventh out of 457 for English Learner proficiency reflects steady gains in early literacy and language development. These results show meaningful growth and the dedication of educators working to support every child’s success.”
