As the saying goes, “The proof is in the numbers.” For the Luxemburg-Casco School District, that axiom has proven to be true, both literally and figuratively.

On the most recent Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report cards, nearly half – 47.8 percent – of L-C Middle and Intermediate School students tested at the “Advanced” level in Mathematics. The state average among all such schools is 19.9 percent.

More than 10 years ago, a committee of Luxemburg-Casco teachers determined how to best utilize the services of Gifted and Talented Teacher Brian Miller, looking at the most current research on how to implement a district-wide system.

Since then, L-C students have shown tremendous growth in Math test scores on the Wisconsin Forward Exam, administered to

students in Grades 3-8. In 2015-16, district pupils recorded a score of 58.5. In the most recent testing period, 2024-25, Lux-Casco students earned a 79.9 score – more than a 20-point increase over the last decade.

In Northeast Wisconsin, Luxemburg-Casco Math students received a score in the top four among the 38 school districts in the CESA 7 each of the past five years.

How does that happen?

Well, it starts early in a student’s education and has been building for more than a decade.

Luxemburg-Casco utilizes an Acceleration Model, where students are moved through curriculum faster and on to a higher grade level. This differs from the Enrichment model, where students receive additional depth and complexity without changing their pace or grade level.

“What it does,” says Mike Snowberry, L-C director of learning services, “is it challenges students to get out of their comfort zone.”

In Kindergarten, baseline Math assessment data is collected for all students, including those who struggle with the subject and those who excel. This data is used to identify which students need additional support, along with those who have the potential to tackle more difficult Math topics. For students whose scores indicate a high level of proficiency, additional testing is used to determine whether the results reflect strong test-taking skills or genuine giftedness in Math, according to Nikki Lenss, now in her third year as the gifted and talented coordinator for the Luxemburg-Casco School District.

Each year, six to 10 first-grade students are identified as gifted in Math and are accelerated by one grade. As first-graders, they are taught both first- and second-grade Math in tandem by Lenss and their grade-level Math teacher. In subsequent years, these students remain one grade level ahead in Math, taking third-grade Math as second graders, and so on.

This methodology continues into middle school. According to Lenss, approximately 50 students meet the criteria of achieving above grade level standards in Math on the i-Ready and Forward Exam assessments, and they are taught Math for Grades 6, 7 and 8 in two years’ time. This condensation of curriculum provides these students the opportunity to earn up to one high-school Math credit before reaching the ninth grade. Those students who already have been accelerated in first grade will now have two high school credits.

With the support of district leadership, the tip of the spear in L-C’s tremendous Math proficiency is Lenss, a Dyckesville native who has spent 20 of her 22 years in teaching at her alma mater, Luxemburg-Casco.

Lenss on average works with five or six groups of students, in both Math and Reading. While these groups often center around gifted and talented students, she also provides targeted interventions for students who struggle with specific Math concepts.

Across all grade levels of L-C students, Lenss says that one overriding factor carries the day.

“Our biggest goal in Math education is we are looking for growth,” she says. “Each year, we want a student to make at least one year of growth, in some cases a year-and-a-half, in our assessments. To me, student success is growth. Whether a student is struggling or excelling, there should be consistent growth.”

This year, 83 percent of L-C students have made one year of growth in Math, a figure that Lenss takes great pride in and has a very strong correlation to the Forward Exam data.

The proverbial secret sauce for Lenss is a laser focus on Math concepts.

“When I am accelerating a student, they need to be taught the next year’s curriculum conceptually,” she says. “I believe it’s important that they understand concepts deeply, so they’re building real understanding, not just memorizing procedures.”

The school district has utilized the same Math curriculum for the past 15 years, which is another component of its success, according to Lenss, along with alignment between grades. Math is taught at a universal time of 8-9:10 a.m. for Grades 1-8, allowing for the ready ability of a student to take Math at an advanced grade level at the same time his or her classmates also are taking Math.

Lenss attributes the district’s high level of Math proficiency to its system: that advanced learners are identified in first grade and by fifth grade there are two Advanced Math sections. In sixth grade, roughly 50 students begin the condensed Math curriculum (three years of learning in two years).

One area for potential improvement, according to Lenss, is Math fluency – defined as the ability to accurately, efficiently and flexibly perform mathematical calculations and procedures – particularly in Kindergarten through Grade 5.

“When a student is working on a complex Math problem,” she says, “they shouldn’t be stuck on the fundamental work of Math. They need to apply the knowledge.”

The energy and passion Lenss has for her work bleeds through. “I truly love teaching Math,” she says. “The best part of what I do is that I get to work with students with strong mathematical reasoning skills, and they love Math as much as I do.”

Learning is a lifelong, continuous process, and the advanced proficiency of Luxemburg-Casco students in Math undoubtedly will serve them well long after they have graduated.

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The Luxemburg-Casco School District serves more than 2,000 Northeast Wisconsin students annually through four schools located on a single campus in Luxemburg: the Primary School (4K-2), Intermediate School (3-6), Middle School (7-8) and High School (9-12). The district maintains a strong tradition of academic and extracurricular excellence while preparing students to thrive in a global community. U.S. News & World Report in 2024 ranked L-C High School as a top 10 high school within the Green Bay metro area. Located between Green Bay, Door County and Lake Michigan, the educational community has been in existence since the early 1900s, with Luxemburg and Casco operating as separate districts until they merged in 1968. More information may be found at http://www.luxcasco.k12.wi.us/home. “We Are Spartans”