How a school in Hawaii is encouraging students to take ownership of their learning

Home to more than 800 K–12 all-male students, Saint Louis School is nestled in the lower Kalaepōhaku segment of the Koʻolau mountains in Honolulu, Hawaii. Home to an award-winning hula program and a football powerhouse, Saint Louis School has produced incredible athletes like Tennessee Titan’s Marcus Mariota and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, to incredible scholars like Dr. Richard Mamiya, a revolutionary cardiovascular surgeon, and Dean Pitchford, a songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. The school prides itself on its students taking ownership of their learning and setting themselves up for success—both in athletics AND in the classroom.

Getting its start in the 1800s, the school has moved several times and has grown. Today, the school consists of a diverse group of students, educators, administrators, and families dedicated to their faith, culture, families, and communities. About 58 percent of students are Hawaiian/Part Hawaiian, while 34 percent are Asian and Pacific Island. A number of students come from military families stationed on the island. Students also come from foreign countries, including Japan and South Korea.

While the administration was familiar with Renaissance products and used them in the past, it was President Glenn Mederios and former Dean of Personalized Learning, Michael Pa’ekukui (who is now the principal at a Catholic school on Hawaii Island), behind turning Saint Louis School into a digital, data-first school that encourages ownership.

The challenge

Using data to drive meaningful growth

Data can be deceiving, confusing, and meaningless without explanation. Educators can have rows and rows of data in Excel Sheets in front of them, but how does it inform instruction or translate to growth? Glenn and Michael knew they wanted to leverage data to help their educators inform classroom instruction and help students, but the real question was where to start.

“We wanted to offer our students a complete suite of products and tools to help them be their absolute best,” recalled Glenn. “That’s what led us to invest and build our school around products that give our educators tangible and meaningful results—like Renaissance.”

“To get the ball rolling, our educators worked hand-in-hand with Renaissance Coaches to learn how to get the most of all the data that comes out of Renaissance products,” said Michael. “Just from a couple of sessions, I could sense our educators’ excitement when discussing how we could shape our instruction. That’s where it all started.”

The results

A love for reading and data-informed instruction

Knowing that their students were digital natives, Glenn and Michael discussed the advantages of digital books, along with traditional, paperback books to provide students with choice. Moving full steam ahead, the school implemented Renaissance myON^® Reader and myON^® News, powered by News-O-Matic, to provide a mix of digital and traditional content.

Not soon after, Brigitte Bolos, a teacher at Saint Louis School and now the Dean of Blended Learning, noted her students taking up an interest. Students were reading without being prompted and paying close attention to their Lexile^® scores. Her students would even ask their fellow peers about their Lexile scores, which in turn, motivated them to do better and “beat” their peers.

“The students got competitive,” laughed Brigitte. “Each student would ask one another about their Lexile scores. Then they’d hear someone had a higher level, so they would go read and work to improve it. I’m not kidding, there would be students reading left and right to get a leg up on each other. We just had to smile about it.”

Each student would ask one another about their Lexile scores. Then they’d hear someone had a higher level, so they would go read and work to improve it.

Brigitte Bolos, Dean of Blended Learning, Saint Louis School

That, along with setting aside 30 minutes or more after recess for dedicated reading time each afternoon, has led to improved Lexile scores and strong results in English class. Teachers also noticed that students were reading paperback books more often, a surprising positive to stem from introducing digital books.

“It was incredible to see that with myON, students also started checking out traditional books,” said Brigitte. “It’s led to a natural love for reading and students taking ownership of their learning. Students are improving and getting better—it doesn’t matter if it’s a digital or paperback book. As long as they’re seeing improvement in themselves, that’s all that matters.”

Students are improving and getting better—it doesn’t matter if it’s a digital or paperback book.

Brigitte Bolos, Dean of Blended Learning, Saint Louis School

In addition to the rollout of myON, Saint Louis School added Renaissance Star Math^®. The data helps educators adjust their instruction and provide students with personalized help. Star Math has become interwoven into the school’s math lessons.

This fall, Saint Louis School is all in and will utilize the complete Renaissance Star 360^® assessment suite and students will be tested a couple of times to track progress and measure growth. That important data will lead to more-tailored instruction and students mastering ELA and math standards. Yet, it’s just the start of a much bigger journey for Saint Louis School—one that Michael hopes to mirror at his new school on Hawaii Island to create the same personalized learning environment.

Looking back on the progress Saint Louis School has made, Michael, with limited resources now at his new school, smiles. “Glenn and Brigitte are so blessed to have the supports in place like they do. Between the products available, educators trained to interpret data, and more, it makes a big difference. Saint Louis School is just getting started on their journey and will only continue to prepare students for the future. I look forward to seeing what the team accomplishes.”