District achieves High Reliability Schools Certification for Level 1 in all schools

Southern York County School District is proud to announce that the district has been named the first Pennsylvania school district to achieve Level 1 High Reliability School certification in all schools.

“This is a significant achievement for Southern York County Schools, and it is made all the sweeter by the fact that the district is the first in the state to accomplish Level 1 certification in every school,” Southern York County School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Bryson said.

The certification is part of the High Reliability Schools framework that the district adopted last year. The High Reliability Schools framework was created by Marzano Resources to assist districts in taking proactive steps to ensure student success. The framework consists of a five-level hierarchy that helps educators learn to assess, monitor and confirm the effectiveness of their schools. Schools earning Level 1 certification have established safe, supportive and collaborative learning environments; this is the foundation for every level that follows. To become certified, schools must collect and validate their performance at each level. Certification is determined by Marzano Resources’ analysts in cooperation with school data teams.

In June 2023, Friendship Elementary School became the first Pennsylvania elementary school to receive Level 1 certification. Shrewsbury and Southern Elementary schools earned certification later in 2023, and Southern Middle School and Susquehannock High School received certification in February. The schools are now working toward Level 2 certification for showcasing effective teaching in every classroom.