In 1999, West Riverside Elementary became the first PASS school in Jacksonville through a partnership involving Kevin Twomey, President of the St. Joe Company and former Principal Frances Gupton (now a coach to Principal Joy Snyder). Twomey visited the school several times when the partnership began to better understand the work of a principal. After several visits Twomey met with Gupton and suggested effective ways of delegating her many daily tasks and focusing more time on instructional leadership and time in classrooms. "I truly think that the mentoring from the CEO is the most powerful piece of the PASS program," said Gupton.

The next important change was in a renewed teacher focus on student achievement. "When we began the partnership with St. Joe, we introduced our new logo, If We Believe, We Will Achieve," said Gupton. "Adopting this logo was the first step in putting the focus on student achievement, nothing else. Before PASS, we were all being pulled in too many different directions, with the students ending up on the losing end."

The West Riverside PASS model included an incentive program for teachers. The initial incentive criteria included improved attendance, punctuality, curriculum aligned written lesson plans and increased time spent on quality instruction. The amount that each teacher received (if they met the criteria) was $1,000. Of the 28 eligible teachers, 23 received the full incentive award. Additional criteria were added in the second and third years. The third-year supplemental incentive incorporated improvement in student performance as a criteria. Twomey helped guide Gupton through the process of designing the incentive criteria so it would meet with school, district and union acceptance." The addition of the supplemental incentive proved to be a win-win for all," said Gupton. "Student achievement levels improved, and teachers were rewarded for doing an outstanding job."

Another component of the PASS model was the use of data to drive classroom instruction. Teachers now use student data as a diagnostic and instructional planning tool. "It's exciting to see teachers take test data (both standardized and teacher made) and use the results to make a difference in their classroom," said Gupton.

"As we near the end of this journey, I can truthfully say that as the principal I have become a much stronger leader," Gupton said. "As a business manager and as an instructional leader, I have learned so many valuable lessons from my mentor, and for that I say thank you. I have had the opportunity to grow and change professionally; making me the leader I am today. As a school, we now know we can make a difference in the lives of all children."

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