Four Linn-Mar Buildings Receive Special Recognition
Four Linn-Mar buildings received national recognition this year.
Excelsior One of Five Middle Schools in Iowa Recognized for Its Professional Learning Communities
Excelsior Middle School was recently recognized for its sustained success in raising student achievement.
Excelsior successfully implemented the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® process, an effort that recognizes their focus on on-going, job-embedded learning for the staff in their building. To earn this recognition, the staff at Excelsior had to demonstrate their dedication to working together to improve teaching and learning in their internal learning communities.
Excelsior is one of only 27 schools in Iowa, and one of just five middle schools in Iowa, to earn this honor. Schools are recognized for this honor based on strict criteria, including demonstration of a commitment to PLC concepts, implementation of these concepts for at least three years, and clear evidence of improved student learning over that period. Once measurable results can be seen, the school must explain its practices, structures, and culture and submit its application for consideration by an external review committee.
Bowman Woods, Linn Grove and Wilkins Achieve HRS Level 2 Certification
Three of our elementary buildings earned a High Reliability Schools (HRS) Level 2 certification in 2024-2025.
The HRS program was created by Marzano Resources to help transform schools into organizations that take proactive steps to ensure student success. Using a research-based five-level hierarchy, educators learn to assess, monitor, and confirm the effectiveness of their schools.
To achieve Level 2 certification, our elementary staff at Bowman Woods, Linn Grove and Wilkins had to demonstrate clear, research-based systems that promote trust, teamwork, and shared leadership among staff, students, and families.
All the schools in the Linn-Mar district are already implementing a wide range of effective initiatives, and many educators are already practicing research-based strategies. The HRS framework shows how best practices work together and provide levels of achievement to help empower districts and schools to measure their progress on continuous improvement. All of the Linn-Mar HRS certifications are below: while achieving a new level is cause for celebration, the efforts focused on continual progress toward certification also are commendable.
Linn-Mar High Reliability School Certifications
| School | Original Certification | Level |
| Boulder Peak Intermediate | 2023 | 1 |
| Bowman Woods Elementary School | 2025 | 2 |
| Echo Hill Elementary School | 2022 | 1 |
| Excelsior Middle School | 2023 | 2 |
| Hazel Point Intermediate School | 2023 – Level 1 in progress | |
| Indian Creek Elementary School | 2022 | 2 |
| Linn Grove Elementary School | 2025 | 2 |
| Linn-Mar High School | 2018 | 3 |
| Novak Elementary School | 2022 | 2 |
| Oak Ridge Middle School | 2023 | 2 |
| Westfield Elementary School | 2022 | 1 |
| Wilkins Elementary School | 2024 | 2 |
Congratulations to all of the Linn-Mar staff who supported the work behind achieving these milestones!