FORT HALL - Last year the Shoshone-Bannock High School failed to meet adequate yearly progress and is currently in its first year of reconstruction.

Interim administrator Phillip Shortman says inconsistencies in administration, combined with a lack of funding at the school, contributed to past problems, and he is reaching out for help in solving them.

"We have a very strong staff here," Shortman said. "The longevity of the staff is the school's strength."

Shortman turned to students and the community to identify areas that need improvement, and he asked faculty members to come up with plans to address these issues.

So far it seems those suggestions are paying off.

Idaho Standard Achievement Test scores for reading at Shoshone-Bannock improved this year, and while every student's math score was better, Shortman said there is still work to be done.

Math teacher Kris Hansen offers a plan - she wants to challenge students.

"I'm going to try to give them advanced topics at the first of the year," she said. "Sometimes if I give them something more challenging, they try harder."

Hansen said 30 percent of the ISAT is algebra.

During a school reform meeting on May 22, results from a survey of the school's 130 students and the community were reviewed. Hansen, along with Angela Eldredge, the credit recovery teacher, and reading teacher Story Holston began the process of developing techniques to meet student needs and improve communication with parents and the community.

The teachers are applying techniques incorporated in the Reading180 Program in the school's curriculum.

Holston said students in her classes read grade level material that includes literary classics, as well as scientific and historic material to promote interest in those subjects.

The Sho-Ban School is funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The school collects $3,500 per student - about $6,500 less than public schools.

Teachers at the school offset budget shortfalls through grant funding and often spend their own money for supplies.

Also, Susan Swetnam, a literature professor at Idaho State University, organized a book drive to help support the college level reading program.

Students at the high school earn college credits through the dual enrollment class. Students must pass a placement test to enroll.

"We have some really good students at the school," Holston said.

Teachers are encouraged to incorporate cultural aspects in the classroom whenever possible.

"We are a very unique school," she said. "Cultural courses in language, music, art and dance are offered that aren't part of public school."

Eldredge said surveys indicated that the majority of students are satisfied with the school.

"The school provides them with a sense of family and a sense of belonging," she said.

Eldredge's credit recovery class allows students to continue their regular classes while earning lost credits.

While technology is incorporated into the curriculum, the teachers are working to provide more hands-on methods.

The faculty is also working to make the community better informed about the school, Eldredge said.

Absenteeism has been a problem and incentive programs that reward students who show up for school on time were implemented this year.

The school also hired additional staff to deal with that problem.

"We're a small school. We face the same problems as other small schools," Eldredge said. "Our problems might just be more concentrated."