Past Winners 1982-2002 Word[893]

U.S. Department of Education June 1, 1999 2000-2001 Blue Ribbon Schools Program Elementary School Nomination Requirements Introduction............................................................................................... ii Eligibility Criteria ..................................................................................... v Application and Review Process .............................................................. v Timeline .................................................................................................. vii Preparing the School Self-Assessment .................................................. viii 2000-2001 School Self-Assessment  Certification Sheet .................................................................... 1  Part I -- Eligibility Certification ............................................... 3  Part II -- Background and Demographic Data .......................... 4  Part III -- Summary................................................................... 7  Part IV -- Vision/Mission Statement ........................................ 7  Part V -- Learning-Centered Schools Criteria .......................... 8  Part VI -- Special Emphasis Areas ......................................... 17  Sample Formats for Displaying Assessment Data .................. 19  Private School Addendum ...................................................... 25 OMB Control Number: 1850-0745 Expiration Date: November 30, 2001 INTRODUCTION Program Purpose The Blue Ribbon Schools Program (BRSP) was established by the Secretary of Education in 1982. Its purpose is threefold: (1) to identify and give public recognition to outstanding public and private schools across the United States; (2) to make available a comprehensive framework of key criteria for school effectiveness that can serve as a basis for participatory self-assessment and planning in schools; and (3) to facilitate communication and sharing of best practices within and among schools based on a common understanding of criteria related to success. The program has developed into a national school improvement strategy and many states now have related programs. Blue Ribbon Schools model excellence and equity. They exhibit a strong commitment to educational excellence for all students. The school's success in furthering the intellectual, social, moral, and physical growth of all its students, including students with disabilities and limited English proficient students, is a basic consideration underlying the recognition criteria. In seeking successful schools, the program welcomes both schools that have demonstrated sustained success in achieving these values and schools that have demonstrated significant improvement by overcoming serious obstacles. The quality of each school will be judged in the context of how effectively it has defined and is meeting its own goals and how well it serves students, their families, and the local community. Additionally, for a school to be judged worthy of national recognition, it must show significant progress in meeting State and/or national education goals. Blue Ribbon Schools offer instructional programs that meet the highest academic standards, have supportive and learning-centered school environments, and demonstrate student outcome results that are significantly above the average for comparable schools. Elementary and secondary schools are eligible to participate in alternate years. Middle and junior high schools may only participate in the secondary year. Schools also must meet several other eligibility requirements as stated in the “Eligibility Criteria.” Once a school's eligibility to participate has been determined, information provided by a school in response to the program criteria will guide the National Review Panel’s analysis regarding the school’s possible designation as a Blue Ribbon School. Conceptual Basis for the Program Criteria The Blue Ribbon Schools Program completed a two-year effort to update its criteria to reflect current education research, reform goals, and consensus views of best practice. The criteria published in this nomination package were developed at a series of planning meetings held during the summer of 1996 that included approximately 200 researchers, practitioners, and staff from associations, foundations, state education agencies, and the U.S. Department of Education. These criteria were further refined based on the experience of their first use by schools in 1997-1998. A series of commissioned research synthesis papers, as well as the practical experience of the diverse participants, served as the basis for reaching consensus on revised criteria. To receive draft copies of these research papers, contact the Blue Ribbon Schools Program office at 202-219-2141. Experience with school improvement and research indicates that no “quick fixes” for school success exist. Schools are complex institutions. Unusually successful schools have adopted a comprehensive and longterm perspective dedicated to excellence and equity in all aspects of the school program. The very difficult goals of nurturing student learning and development are at the heart of any school’s vision/mission. Students are more likely to learn and develop when the adults in the school not only support them, but also continuously learn themselves. Learning-centered school communities support the growth of all members. Since schools are located within larger political, social, and economic ii environments that may enable or constrain their progress, school success is often dependent on developing partnerships for collaboration with the larger community. Program Criteria Overall Framework The overall framework of criteria used in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program includes the following eight categories: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. Student Focus and Support School Organization and Culture Challenging Standards and Curriculum Active Teaching and Learning Professional Community Leadership and Educational Vitality School, Family, and Community Partnerships Indicators of Success Categories A, C, and D address the dynamic of student-teacher-content interaction that is the central core of the education process. These categories focus mainly on the classroom and its context. Categories B, E, and F focus on elements of the context within schools that education research suggests are conditions for success, including organizational, cultural, and interpersonal factors. Category G covers the school's relationships with significant external stakeholders. The emphasis in category H shifts to results: the coherence of the school’s overall assessment system, the use of assessment data to inform decisions and improve performance, and evidence of consistently outstanding or significantly improved student and school performance outcomes. Special Emphasis Areas Each year the Department of Education selects areas of high national priority for special emphasis. Response to these areas of special emphasis is optional. In 2000-2001, special emphasis is being given to unusually effective programs in (1) special education and (2) technology. A school may apply for special honors in either special education or technology, but not both. To apply for recognition in a special emphasis area, schools should submit the information specified in Part VI. Only schools that receive the Blue Ribbon Schools award are eligible to receive an additional award in one of the special emphases. Failure to apply for honors in a special emphasis area will not jeopardize a school's chances to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School. Characteristics and Use of Program Criteria The criteria are comprehensive. The criteria are intended to address all important aspects of school operations. Yet the criteria are broad enough to suit diverse school contexts and to accommodate new or changing goals and strategies within any particular school. The criteria are interrelated. Addressing the multiple, embedded, and interacting contexts of school life creates a dynamic linkage among the criteria. The systematic use of a broad composite of criteria should help schools to ensure that school improvement goals and strategies are balanced. The criteria are nonprescriptive. Wide latitude is intended and accepted in how schools meet the criteria. The focus is on results rather than on specific means or procedures. Schools often use the Blue iii Ribbon criteria and process in conjunction with more targeted or specific school improvement strategies. The criteria are a basis for collaborative self-assessment. School responses to the overall framework should provide a profile of school strengths and areas for improvement. The criteria are a useful tool for self-assessment, reflection, strategic planning, and involvement of all relevant stakeholders in a common project. Self-assessment is an effective school improvement strategy. Research and experience suggest that self-assessment benefits schools and fosters improvements in practice. Successful schools usually have a process for reflection and planning. Thus, the criteria may assist schools in accomplishing something they do in the normal course of their activities regardless of whether they choose to seek national recognition. Eligible Schools Only elementary schools are eligible for the 2000-2001 Blue Ribbon Schools Program. If the highest grade in the school is grade six, regardless of its name, the school may only apply during an elementary year. The change in eligibility for middle schools is the result of a comprehensive, external evaluation of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program by Policy Studies Associates. This change helps assure equitable and proportionate entry opportunities for all schools. In acknowledgement of the research findings regarding differing philosophies among middle, junior high, and secondary schools, middle schools will be required to meet nomination requirements consistent with developmentally appropriate middle school models. Previously Recognized Schools It is the Blue Ribbon Schools Program’s philosophy that the responsibility of public service accompanies the reward of national recognition. The program validates and spotlights educational successes and offers to meritorious schools the opportunity for public praise for their accomplishments. As models of excellence and equity, Blue Ribbon Schools have much to share among themselves and with other schools that aspire to similar success. Blue Ribbon Schools recognized between 1983 and 1994 were encouraged to take the initiative to share their best practices with other schools. As a requirement for their nomination , schools recognized after 1994 are required to show they have interacted with other schools. State agency officials and district superintendents are asked to facilitate sharing. The U.S. Department of Education expects to do more in the future to promote formal and informal sharing. Additionally, the program expects that after recognition Blue Ribbon Schools will continue to seek ways to further improve themselves. Previously recognized schools may reapply for recognition after a waiting period of five years (See the eligibility criteria). Program experience suggests that schools sometimes reapply because they find the self-assessment process intrinsically beneficial as a school improvement tool. In order to be recognized again, previously recognized schools must meet additional criteria related to continuing improvement and the sharing of best practices. iv ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 1. The school must be an elementary school with some combination of grades K-8. In K-12 schools, the K-8 components are eligible for consideration. Schools with some combination of grades K-8 or 1-8 must participate as an entire entity. Middle and intermediate schools that end with grade 6 may only apply during an elementary year. 2. The minimum period of operation for public and private schools, including newly merged schools, is five full school years. The school must be in its sixth year of operation when the nomination is submitted, that is, schools submitting nomination s for the current year in the fall of 2000 must have been in continuous operation since September 1995. 3. Previously recognized schools are eligible to reapply after a five year waiting period. Schools recognized in the 1994-1996 program cycle or earlier are eligible to apply. 4. The nominated school must not be refusing the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review. 5. The OCR must not have issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation. 6. The U.S. Department of Justice must not have a pending suit against a school district alleging that the nominated school, or district as a whole, has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution’s equal protection clause. 7. The U.S. Department of Education must not have issued a monitoring report with findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that apply to the school or school district in question. If there are such findings, for the school to be eligible, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings. APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESS 1. Schools enter the program by completing a nomination package that contains a School SelfAssessment and then forwarding it to the appropriate nominating agency. 2. Chief State School Officers nominate public schools for consideration at the national level. (Each State is allowed a number of nominations reflecting its student population and the number of schools in the state.) Public schools must submit their nomination packages to the appropriate State Education Agency according to the individual state timelines. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. Officials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) nominate their schools. Information on how to contact program liaisons for the states, CAPE, BIA, and DODEA is available on the Blue Ribbon Schools home page at www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/. 3. The U.S. Department of Education receives public and private school nominations from the v nominating agencies and examines them for eligibility and completeness. 4 . A National Review Panel of public and private school educators reviews school nomination packages. The U.S. Department of Education seeks to form a panel that is culturally, ethnically, and geographically diverse, and includes persons with disabilities. CAPE recommends panel members representative of the private school community. Each year experts in the special emphasis areas are also invited to serve as panel members. No U.S. Department of Education officials serve on the panel. 5. The National Review Panel meets initially to recommend schools for site visits. Stage I recommendations are based solely on the information in the school’s nomination package. Attention is paid to assigning schools, particularly private and special types of schools, to reviewers with relevant experience. Panel members do not review schools from their own states or schools with which they have had prior personal or professional involvement. 6. Two-day visits are conducted at schools that have been recommended for a site visit. Site visitors are educators with extensive public or private school experience. No U.S. Department of Education officials serve as site visitors. The role of the site visitor is to verify the accuracy of information in the nomination package and to get answers to specific questions posed by the National Review Panel. The site visitor follows carefully prepared guidelines and criteria in conducting on-site visits. A substantial portion of time is spent in classroom observations. The site visitor also meets with school and district administrators, teachers, support staff, students, parents, and community members. The site visitor prepares a written report and forwards it to the U.S. Department of Education. 7. The National Review Panel meets a second time to review the nomination packages of all the schools that received site visits and to select from among them schools to recommend for National recognition. These Stage II reviews consider site visitors' verification of information in the nomination package, the answers to specific panel questions, and site visitors' firsthand reports on the quality of the instructional program and school climate. The select subpanel performs a role similar to that described above. 8. The National Review Panel recommends the schools for recognition by the Secretary of Education. Schools recommended by the panel are cleared by the Office of Civil Rights to ensure that eligibility requirements are met. Once a decision has been reached, no appeals are permitted. 9. Three representatives of each Blue Ribbon School, usually the principal and two other people directly connected to the school, come to Washington, D.C. for a Blue Ribbon Schools professional development and recognition ceremony. vi TIMELINE Event Publication of Nomination Requirements Date June 1999 State Liaison Meeting October, 1999 Public School Nominations Due to State Education Agencies, BIA, and DODEA All public school’s must submit through the states, BIA, or DODEA As Determined By Agencies Private School Nominations Must be received by CAPE by October 2, 2000 Public and Private School Nominations Must be received by U.S. Department of Education by November 13, 2000 First National Review Panel Meeting, Washington, DC January 5-10, 2001 Announcement of Site Visits January 25, 2001 Orientation of Site Visitors, Washington, DC February 16-17, 2001 Site Visits February 21–April 13, 2001 Site Visit Reports Due to U.S. Department of Education (Two weeks from visit or by April 19, whichever comes first) April 19, 2001 Second National Review Panel Meeting April 28-30, 2001 Notification of Schools Completed May 23, 2001 National Recognition Ceremony, Washington, DC Fall 2001 vii PREPARING THE SCHOOL SELF-ASSESSMENT Overview This nomination package is designed to provide a profile of your school and to offer you an opportunity to highlight factors especially important to your local community. Completion of this nomination package is required in order to be considered for the Blue Ribbon Schools award. The package is divided into six parts. Part I is used to determine whether the school meets the eligibility criteria. Part II seeks background and demographic information about the school district and the school. Part III provides a brief summary or "snapshot" of the school. Part IV asks for a statement of the school’s vision/mission or philosophy. The information in Parts II-IV is used by the National Review Panel to understand the school context and, if the school is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, for public information purposes. Part V invites descriptions of the school in response to specific questions that reflect learning-centered school criteria. Part VI is the optional section concerning special emphasis areas. The quality of the written document will have considerable influence on how the review panel evaluates your school. Complete descriptions of school policies, programs, practices, and results are essential ingredients of a successful school nomination. The School Self-Assessment should, therefore, be well-written and carefully reviewed for content and style before being submitted. Failure to address directly and concretely each question including the italicized prompts can result in an unfavorable review even though the school's programs and practices are, in reality, quite excellent. The Summary section will be shared with other recognized schools, members of Congress, and the press. It should be written as a stand-alone section, without reference to how deserving the school is of national recognition and without cross references. It should be a concise, accurate description of your school and should include the school name, city, and state in the first sentence. Previously recognized Blue Ribbon Schools seeking recognition again must highlight changes and improvements since they were last honored. Also, these schools are expected to describe efforts to share their best practices with other schools. Throughout the School Self-Assessment, schools previously recognized must explicitly document their progress since the earlier award and note any interactions with other schools in sharing their successful strategies. Additionally, there is an addendum where previously recognized schools must summarize relevant changes, improvements, and efforts to share best practices. Prior nomination packages are not available to the panel. Thus, you must take care to document all statements and claims as thoroughly as a school applying for the first time. viii TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Please keep the following items in mind as you complete the nomination package. If you fail to comply, your school may not be reviewed. 1. Paper, Spacing, and Type Size. All responses must be typed on white paper, single spaced, with 1" margins on right, left, top, and bottom. Use normal spacing between lines. Print size must not be reduced smaller than 11 point computer font, which is the type used in this box (for typewriters, 12-pitch elite type is acceptable). Do not use compressed type and make sure that the font style used is easily reproducible. Upon selection for submission to the U.S. Department of Education by the nominating agency, each school will be assigned a unique identification code by the agency’s program liaison. Copies. Each school must submit four copies (the original plus three) of the completed nomination package. The original and copies must be without any additional covers or folders and must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner. The signed original must be printed on one side. To minimize environmental impact, the three copies must be photocopied on both sides of the paper. Electronic Files. The school must submit a 3.5 inch floppy disk that contains a file named “ID” that includes the name of the principal, the name of the school, its address, and telephone number as on the cover sheet, and a separate file named “BRSFORM” that includes the following sections of the nomination form: the Summary, Part III, and Parts IV, V, and VI. The file must be written in any version of WordPerfect, Microsoft Word or Works in PC format. If it must be written on a Macintosh or any format other than the three PC formats mentioned, it must be written in ASCII. It is imperative that the following information be provided on an external label attached to the disk: the name of the school, the city and state, the name and version of the word processing software package used (for example, Word for Windows, ASCII on Mac), and the format of the disk (PC or Mac). 2. Cover Sheet. Note that the cover sheet for the nomination package requires the signatures of the principal, the district superintendent, and the president/chairperson of the local school board. These signatures certify that each of the three individuals has reviewed the content of the nomination package, including the statement of eligibility, and has determined that it is accurate. (All of these signatures may not be applicable for private schools; write N/A in the space where the position or its equivalent is not applicable.) 3. Pagination. Paginate your submittal and number all pages/sides consecutively as follows: Cover sheets pp. 1-2 or 2a Part I pp. 3 Part II pp. 4-6 Part III pp. 7-8 Part IV pp. 9 Part V pp.10+ Part VI in sequence 4. Format. Parts I and II and the Private School Addendum must be completed without any reformatting. Do not retype pages 1-6 or the Private School Addendum page. (Private schools must retype and bold the questions in the Private School Addendum. Insert the questions and your ix responses after each corresponding question in Part V; for example, A3a would go after A3.) The summary statement (pages 7-8) is limited to two pages. Part V is limited to 30 pages excluding assessment tables, except that previously recognized schools may have 2 extra pages for Section I. The 30-page limitation is a maximum, not a requirement. For Part VI, special emphasis, up to three additional pages may be used for special education and technology. No attachments to the nomination package will be reviewed except for the Private School Addendum the school assessment tables, and subgroup norms/standards supplied by publishers needed to interpret assessment data in Part V, H4 and H5. Assessment-related addenda should be limited. 5. Submission. All nominations must be submitted through the respective State education department, BIA, DODEA, or in the case of private schools, through CAPE. There are no exceptions. Completing Part V 6. Format. The school must retype and bold each complete question in Part V, together with its corresponding number, for example, A1, C3, G2. Only the bold part of the question in the nomination form need be repeated by the school; it must be repeated exactly as worded in the nomination form and it must be bolded. The statements/prompts in italics that accompany bold questions in the nomination are to guide responses and need not be repeated. Pay special attention to any such italicized requests for information, since reviewers will expect to find information directly related to these structured queries. Note that in Part VI, Special Emphasis Areas, only the heading, that is, Technology or Special Education should be repeated and bolded. Note also that question H4 requires that your response be formatted in a particular way. Please adhere closely to the formatting guidelines for these questions. For H4 provide all the relevant test details specified in the italicized prompts. This nomination package provides samples of suggested data display in Section H. In reporting test data, you may reduce font/type size, though the final copy must be clearly legible. 7. Cross Referencing. The school must decide how much space to allocate to each response within the overall limitation of 30 pages for Part V. Because many of the questions are closely related, it is suggested that you cross reference to conserve space and avoid repetition. However, you should thoroughly answer the question before referring to an elaboration in related questions. 8. Participation. Principals are expected to invite a team of individuals, including teachers, staff, parents, students, and others, to participate in the preparation of the nomination package. Many of the questions will require reflection, research, discussion among the team, and several attempts at formulating effective responses. Since submitting a nomination is intended to stimulate and recognize school improvement efforts, writing the nomination is ideally accomplished by all of those stakeholders intimately involved in such efforts. The use of a professional writer to draft the nomination is strongly discouraged. 9. Editing. The quality of the written presentation influences the review panel's assessment. It is therefore important to designate a competent editor to assist with the final document. Preparation of the Self-Assessment section requests the names and titles of those who participated (p. 2). Also, a description of the process is required and scored as part of item F-3. The principal, however, is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the final document. The principal should personally ensure that all nomination questions have been fully and x accurately answered, that formatting of the nomination complies with program requirements, that photocopying has not resulted in missing or out of sequence pages, and that proper shipment of all 4 copies occurs according to the prescribed timeline. 10. Criteria. The National Review Panel will rate each of the responses and overall categories as follows: Exemplary, Strong, Adequate, Inadequate, and Insufficient Evidence. Additionally, the panel will judge whether the document makes sense as a whole. For example, they will consider whether the vision, goals, practices, resources, and results are aligned across the various sections of the School Self-Assessment. For a school to receive a site visit, it must be judged "exemplary" in two general categories, have no adequate general categories, have no more than six adequate ratings in the individual items, and have no inadequate ratings. Schools must meet the assessment criteria in Section H. Completing Part VI Limit your descriptions of special emphasis in technology or special education to no more than three pages. These pages are in addition to the 30 pages allowed for Part V of the School Self-Assessment. Questions About the Nomination Package All questions concerning this nomination package should be addressed to the appropriate program liaison in the states for public schools and to CAPE for private schools. The answers to all questions the Department receives from liaisons will be posted on the Blue Ribbon Schools home page under Frequently Asked Questions as they are received. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program homepage address is: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/BlueRibbonSchools/ Paperwork Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0745. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 50 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Blue Ribbon Schools Program, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Room 508, Washington D.C. 20208-5643. xi Code __________________________________ ASSIGNED BY NOMINATING AGENCY CHECK THOSE THAT APPLY IN EACH GROUP: Previous National Blue Ribbon School: ____Yes ____No If yes, year(s) _________________________ Special Honors Candidate: ____ Special Education ____ Technology 2000-2001 Blue Ribbon Schools Program Name of Principal Certification Sheet (Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As you wish it in the official records) Official School Name (As you wish it in the official records) School Mailing Street/P.O. Box Tel. ( Fax ( State Zip Code+4 (9 digits) ) ) Address City Website/URL County Email Nearest Major Airport/City, State I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 3, and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate. Date____________________________ (Principal’s Signature) Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable to you, write N/A in the space. Name of Superintendent (Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) District Name District Mailing Street/P.O. Box Tel. ( Fax ( ) ) Address City State Zip Code I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 3, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate. Date____________________________ (Superintendent’s Signature) Name of School Board President/Chairperson (Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 3, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate. Date____________________________ (School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature) Preparation of School Self-Assessment Representatives of all relevant stakeholder groups (including administrators, teachers, other school staff, students, parents, and community representatives) should be involved in the preparation of the School Self-Assessment. Information about its preparation is required under F3 and is used in scoring that item in conjunction with the information requested below. List the individuals involved in preparation. If necessary, add an additional page numbered “2a.” Name (List Primary author/editor here) Position/Title 2 PART I - ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION The signatures on the first page of this nomination package certify that for each of the statements below concerning your school's eligibility, previous recognition in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) requirements are true and correct. [Include this page in the nomination package as page 3.] 1 . The school is an elementary school. Or the school is K-12 and the elementary component is applying. The entire school is applying, unless the school is K-12. 2. The school has been in existence for five full years. 3. The school has not received national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School since 1996. 4. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review. 5. The OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation. 6. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school, or the school district as a whole, has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution's equal protection clause. 7. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; and if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings. 3 PART II - BACKGROUND AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA DISTRICT (Questions 1-3 not applicable to private schools) 1. Total number of students (PreK-12)* enrolled in the district: 2. Number of schools in the district: Elementary schools _____ Middle schools _____ Junior high schools _____ High schools _____ TOTAL 3. District Per Pupil Expenditure: Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: ______ SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools) 4. Category that best describes the area where your school is located: [ [ [ [ [ ] ] ] ] ] Urban or large central city Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban school Suburban Small city or town in a rural area Rural 5. Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school. If less than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school? Number of students enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in your school: PreK*_____ 3rd _____ 7th _____ K _____ 4th _____ 8th _____ 1st _____ 2nd _____ th 5 _____ 6th _____ Other ____ Total ______________ % American Indian or Alaska Native % Asian % Black or African American % Hispanic or Latino % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander % White 100% Total 6. 7. Racial/ethnic composition of the students in your school: _____________ * Include pre-Kindergartners only if your school and/or district operates PreK programs. 4 8. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: ________% (This rate should include the total number of students who transferred to or from different schools between October 1 and the end of the school year, divided by the total number of students in your school as of October 1, multiplied by 100.) 9. Limited English proficient students in the school: ________% ________Total Number Number of languages represented: ________ Specify languages: 10. Students who qualify for free/reduced price lunch: ________% ________Total Number If this is not a reasonably accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families or your school does not participate in the federally-supported lunch program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why you chose it, and explain how you arrived at this estimate. 11. Students receiving special education services: ________% ________ Number Served Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. ____Deaf ____Other Health Impaired ____Deaf-Blind ____Seriously Emotionally Disturbed ____Hard of Hearing ____Specific Learning Disability ____Mentally Retarded ____Speech Impaired ____Multihandicapped ____Visually Handicapped ____Orthopedically Impaired 12. Describe any significant changes in the data reported in items 4-11 that have occurred during the past five years and explain why the changes occurred. 5 13. Indicate the full-time and part-time staff members in each of the below categories. Number of Staff Full-time Administrator(s) Classroom teachers Special resource teachers/specialists Paraprofessionals Support staff Total number _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ Part-Time ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ 14. Total number of classrooms in the school _________ 15. When was the school built? ________ Date(s) of any major renovation(s) ________ If the school has been renovated, briefly describe the nature of the renovation. 6 PART III - SUMMARY Provide a brief, coherent snapshot of your school. If your school is recognized, your summary statement will be made available to the press. Also, it will become part of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program home page. Although the National Review Panel will not rate the summary statement, it will provide them with important background information for understanding your school. Limit your summary statement to no more than two pages. Describe your school by highlighting its vision/mission, its tradition and milestones, the nature of the community and students served, and its facilities. Summarize your strengths and accomplishments focusing on what makes your school a unique and successful place worthy of Blue Ribbon School status. Using the main categories in Section V as a general guide, selectively emphasize the key initiatives that distinguish your school, without references to how deserving the school is of the award and without cross references. Please include your school name, city, and state in the first sentence. PART IV – VISION/MISSION STATEMENT Successful organizations have a clearly articulated and commonly understood vision and mission. Provide a brief statement of your school’s vision/mission or philosophy and state the school's goals that reflect your vision/mission. Public schools may indicate how their school vision/mission relates to district goals or policies. Limit your statement to one page or less. Your vision/mission statement will not be rated separately, but it will provide the National Review Panel with a context for rating your responses in Part V. 7 PART V - LEARNING-CENTERED SCHOOLS CRITERIA Note: In responding to the questions in Part V, provide specific details, including especially illustrative examples and relevant data, to maximize reviewers’ understanding of your school. Public schools may need to acknowledge the important role of state or district-level policies. Nevertheless, the individual school is the nominee for recognition and is generally considered the action-and-accountability unit for this nomination. Therefore, your answers should clearly give evidence of the exemplary programs and practices at your building level and the flexibility your school deploys in developing and implementing effective programs and policies. All schools, whether public or private and regardless of grade span, must respond to all questions (unless otherwise specified). The answers to individual questions will not necessarily be of equal length. Cross-reference answers when necessary to avoid repetition. Throughout Part V, the reviewers will be looking for evidence that your school has been successful in achieving both excellence and equity. In describing your achievements, you must convince the review panel that all groups within the school have contributed to and share in your success. Responses should show sensitivity to the full range of special needs that exist in your community and school population. For example, as you respond to questions in this section, consider the needs of students with limited-English proficiency, students with disabilities, underachieving students and potential dropouts, students involved in substance abuse, and gifted and talented students. A. Student Focus and Support A1. How would you describe your student population? What are your students’ needs? How do you assure that the needs of all students are met? Explain how the school determines and meets the needs of diverse students. What nonacademic services and programs are available to support students, and how do they relate to the student needs and school goals identified? Describe any counseling programs, health services, safety programs, tutoring or mentoring services, dropout prevention programs, or similar student support activities. Explain how you integrate student services with other components of the school program, including accessibility of students with disabilities to all programs. Indicate student participation rates and explain how you ensure that you include all students who need nonacademic services. How does your school determine and address the developmental needs of students as they move from grade to grade? Explain how you determine that your programs and services are developmentally appropriate. Also, describe your strategies to ease transitions for first-year students, transfer students entering other grades, and students leaving the school. What cocurricular activities are available for students and how do those activities extend the academic curriculum? Indicate what cocurricular (extracurricular) opportunities are provided, including clubs and athletics. Indicate how participation is encouraged, what voice students have in planning cocurricular offerings, what percentage of students participate, and the extent to which participation represents the overall student body, both male and female. How does your school address the accessibility of its facilities to students and others A2. A3. A4. A5. 8 with disabilities? Describe what you have done or plan to do to improve the school's physical accessibility. B. School Organization and Culture B1. How does the culture of your school support the learning of all its members and foster a caring community? Describe your school culture. Explain the process the school uses to engage all members in collective inquiry, reflection, and responsible decision-making about their learning. Provide examples. What opportunities do students have to build sustained and caring relationships with teachers and other adults? How does your school promote a healthy peer climate among the students? Explain how you foster positive interactions and respect between students and adults and how you promote a healthy peer climate among students and student groups. Describe an instance when you remedied a situation where a student or group of students felt less than fully included. How are teachers hired in your school? How are teacher assignments made? Describe teacher recruitment and hiring standards and practices. Describe how teacher assignments are made. Give evidence that these assignments are made for the benefit of all students and that teacher strengths are matched to student needs. What is your school’s plan for school safety, discipline, and drug prevention? What is your record for the past five years? Describe your plan and create a set of behavioral categories that is consistent with your school safety, discipline, and drug prevention policies and appropriate for describing incidents ranging from minor to serious that occur in your school. Show how your school maintains a safe, orderly, and drug-free environment. Report incidents in terms of percentages of students involved for each category you identified and give evidence about any policy or practice that is effective. B2. B3. B4. C. Challenging Standards and Curriculum C1. How does your curriculum serve the broad goals for student learning and development that the public generally expects education to achieve: personal and intellectual growth, citizenship, and preparation for work and higher education? What relative emphasis do you place on these goals in your curriculum? Give specific examples of how your curriculum addresses, and how much emphasis you place on each of these objectives: basic skills; learning in the academic disciplines; character development and ethical judgment; preparation for life in a complex and diverse society; appreciation for democratic values; participation in the practices of democracy and community service; development of interpersonal, technological, and other skills valued in the workplace; and other broad goals and objectives consistent with your school’s vision/mission. How is your school organized to provide for differing student academic needs within the school's goals, priorities, and curriculum? Provide evidence that decisions about student grouping and scheduling are made with the benefit of all students as the primary goal. If student ability grouping exists at your school, describe under what conditions and how often students may move among groups. Provide data for the last academic year indicating how C2. 9 many students moved into groups with more challenging course work. C3. How do you ensure that diverse learners (for example, students with disabilities, gifted and talented students, students with limited English proficiency, migrant students, and students placed at risk) have the opportunity to learn challenging content and achieve at high levels? Describe any special programs or curricular offerings available for students with particular needs. Explain how these relate to the overall curriculum. What is the process for continuous curriculum renewal at your school? What questions about curriculum is your school currently addressing? Describe your process for continuous curriculum renewal, including the data and resources you use for evaluating and decision-making, the participants involved in the process, and the impact of its implementation on teachers and students. Discuss your plans for future curriculum renewal. Successful schools offer all students opportunities to be engaged with significant content. How does your school ensure that students achieve at high levels in the core subjects? Include a brief description of each subject area below, noting: (1) the general content and performance standards in each major subject area, including how essential skills such as, reading, writing, and thinking are addressed; (2) curriculum articulation throughout the content areas or across grades; (3) ways in which content areas are integrated; and (4) any unique or unusually effective features of your curriculum. Note: If your core curriculum is organized in a manner that would be better explained using a framework other than the traditional subject areas, you may substitute your framework for the one listed below. However, be sure to explain how the essential skills and core subjects relate to your curriculum framework. Although foreign language instruction is optional for elementary schools this year, no school will receive an exemplary rating in the overall "C" category unless it offers at least one foreign language as a part of the regular curriculum. a. b. c. d. e. f. C6. English (Language Arts) Mathematics Science Social Studies The Arts Foreign Languages (Optional) C4. C5. What other content areas or programs play essential roles in your schoolwide curriculum goals? Select two content areas or programs that you think should be highlighted because of their central importance to your school's vision/mission and priorities or because of the high quality, uniqueness or special significance of the offering. Provide the same kind of information for these content areas as in item C5. What requirements must be satisfied before a student is promoted to the next grade or level of schooling? Describe policies and practices related to promotion and eligibility for accelerated course work. Explain how these insure content mastery, appropriate student development, and challenge students beyond minimum standards. C7. 10 D. Active Teaching and Learning D1. How are teaching practices and learning experiences in your school consistent with current knowledge about successful teaching and learning? Explain and illustrate through examples why your teaching practices are appropriate for the programs or subjects in your curriculum and for your students. In what ways do your teaching practices support student-initiated learning? Give evidence that your classrooms are communities of learners and support student responsibility for contributing to individual and peer group learning and achievement. How are resources made available to teachers and students for gathering information and sharing the results of their efforts? Describe your library, information, or media services and explain how these services support the curriculum and classroom instruction. Include any usage data available, for example, the number of students using the library. What technology applications are you using? How do they relate to your curricular goals and how do they support teaching and learning? Describe your approach to technology and how that approach enhances teaching and learning. Explain how you ensure equitable access to technology for students and teachers. D2. D3. . D4. E. Professional Community E1. What opportunities do teachers and other staff have to build professional community that enhance their collective capacity to work together to support student learning? Describe the professional community in your school. Provide specific examples of how professional community builds a sense of collective responsibility for student outcomes, offers collegial support to develop and try out new ideas, solves problems collectively, seeks out information, provides a context for reflection, or enables staff to work together in other ways. Explain how such activities support student learning. How do you ensure adequate financial and time resources for professional development? E2. How does a coherent approach to professional development for teachers and other staff ensure their ability to implement effectively the school's curriculum, instructional strategies, and support system? How do organizational arrangements, such as time and teaching assignments, and school norms and culture, make professional development a priority? Describe professional development in your school and show how teachers are involved. Give examples of significant ongoing on-site learning opportunities (such as mentoring, teacher research, teacher-led seminars) and school support for participation in out-of-school professional activities (such as networks, district workshops, professional associations, conferences, courses, links with higher education, cultural institutions, and businesses). Describe your long-term professional development plan and its relation to school goals. How does the school tailor professional development and support to address the differences in career experience or professional responsibility? Describe the formal and informal support that the school provides for beginning teachers, newly hired teachers, and teachers undertaking a significant change in responsibilities. Describe opportunities for E3. 11 teacher leadership and provide examples of professional development opportunities for other staff (such as paraprofessionals, counselors or specialists, and administrators) and explain why these opportunities are appropriate. E4. How does your school use the processes and results of student assessment, staff evaluation, and school review to support professional growth? How has teacher professional development improved teaching and resulted in higher student achievement and success? Describe the opportunities that teachers and other staff have to obtain feedback on their own professional performance, including the role of formal staff evaluation. Provide any evidence available on the impact of professional development, especially on how this investment has improved teaching. Describe how your school recognizes excellent teaching. F. Leadership and Educational Vitality F1. How does leadership move your school toward its vision/mission? How is the instructional leadership role defined and implemented? How are resources aligned with goals? Be specific about what leadership roles and functions are considered important in your school. Describe the leadership role of the principal. Provide concrete examples of how your school leadership ensures that policies, programs, relationships, and resources focus on the achievement of the school's vision/mission and promote learning. How does the school engage its internal and external stakeholders in leadership and decision-making? What is the relationship between the principal and stakeholders? Explain how staff, teachers, students, parents, and the wider community have a voice in the formulation of the school's vision/mission, goals, and priorities. Explain how often and by whom long-range goals and priorities are reviewed. Also, provide specific examples of how key stakeholders within the school have a voice in everyday decisions of critical importance to them. What kind of participatory school improvement process operates at your school? How did your school prepare its Self-Assessment for the Blue Ribbon Schools Program and how did this initiative relate to other school improvement and planning efforts? Describe your efforts to effect school improvement, detailing your progress to date. Specify the leadership roles in this process. In describing the preparation of this Self-Assessment, explain the process, how internal and external stakeholder groups were involved, the time frame, and its relationship to ongoing school improvement efforts. How does your school leadership use the most current information about education to promote continuous improvement in your school? How does such evidence influence decision-making? Provide specific details about how the use of research findings, education reform reports, and/or the analysis of data (including data generated by the school) have fostered a deeper understanding of the school's goals, policies, and practices. Explain how this information has prompted specific improvements designed to achieve your vision/mission and enhance student learning. As you reflect on the last five years, what conditions or changes have contributed most to the overall success of your school? Give specific examples. F2. F3. F4. F5. 12 F6. How has the school integrated technology to improve management and program efficiency and effectiveness? Assuming that educational applications of technology have been discussed in D, describe how you use technology in your school. Describe also how you insure that staff are trained in the use of technology and given the opportunity to use these resources effectively. Provide specific examples of how technology has enabled you to develop and analyze data about your school and use it as a basis for important decisions. What do you consider the major educational challenges your school must face over the next five years, and how do you plan to address them? Give specific examples. F7. G. School, Family, and Community Partnerships G1. What are the goals and priorities of your school, family, and community partnerships? How have your school and community both improved as a result of these partnerships and how did you measure the improvements? Discuss how your school identifies these goals and priorities, who was involved in identifying them, and how they are related to the school's overall goals and activities. Provide specific examples of activities or projects conducted in collaboration with community institutions, agencies, and groups and show how these school-community partnerships benefit the community and the school. Describe an effort that you feel best exemplifies your partnerships and describe as specifically as possible the results achieved for each of the participating stakeholders. How does your school involve families in their children's education? Discuss how, in partnership with families, the school: (1) supports and enhances the parenting role; (2) ensures effective two-way communication; (3) recruits and encourages volunteers; (4) facilitates learning at home (including homework); and (5) involves families in decision making. Show data to indicate the extent of family involvement in these activities and the degree to which the families involved represent the overall student body. How does the school support the needs and concerns of families? Discuss how you determine needs and concerns. Provide examples of school support, such as integrated health and social services at the school site, referrals to community services, before- and after-school child care, adult education, family counseling, nutrition education, times for parent meetings and conferences, and transportation options. How are educational resources in the school and the community used to extend learning opportunities for students, teachers, and families? Provide specific examples of how community educational resources such as museums and performing arts institutions, public libraries, summer academic and athletic programs, study-abroad programs, community enrichment programs, job training, internships and apprenticeship programs extend your school program. You may also discuss extended use of the school's own facilities, such as the media center, classrooms, gymnasium, and computer lab if programs provide reciprocal benefits to the community. G2. G3. G4. H. Indicators of Success H1. What is your school’s overall approach to assessment? How do your methods align with your educational vision/mission and curriculum? What questions about assessment is your school currently addressing? Provide evidence and examples of a 13 coherent school-wide assessment program. Identify current issues and future directions. It is the school’s responsibility to show sustained high achievement or significant improvement over five years through reports on norm-referenced tests, criterion-referenced tests, and/or alternative assessment. The school need not utilize any particular assessment method, but must show that students achieve academically. H2. How do you use assessment results to understand and improve student and school performance? How are data used to influence decision-making? Provide evidence that assessment data are used systematically in making decisions about programs and students. Give examples of how school administrators and teachers use assessment data to improve teaching and learning. What assessment data are communicated to students, parents, and the community? What are the purposes of these communications? How does the school ensure that these stakeholders understand the standards for judgment and the meaning of the data? Show how the school keeps students, parents, and the community actively informed about the results of assessment. What standardized norm-referenced tests developed on the national, state, or district level has your school given in the last five years? What are the results for the last five years? It is the responsibility of the school: (1) to show sustained high achievement, that is, at least one-third standard deviation above the mean or a normal curve equivalent (NCE) of 57; (2) or to show significant improvement over the past five years, that is, at least a onethird standard deviation increase in achievement or a 7 NCE increase in achievement. Even if the entire school does not achieve above 57 NCEs, a school may present itself as eligible for Blue Ribbon status by disaggregating data to show that the majority student group in the school achieves at a level at least one-third standard deviation above the mean or 57 NCEs and that other students have improved at least one-third of a standard deviation over five years. If a school has a significant number of students with low socioeconomic status or with other challenges, the school may show how these students have improved significantly because of the school's efforts. If the school has a high student turnover rate, it may also disaggregate the data to show the results for students who have attended the school for two years or more compared to those students with less than two years attendance. Present data from all standardized assessments administered by your school. If you do not have five years of data, present at least three years of data and explain why you do not have data for the other years. It is the school's responsibility to provide a sufficient explanation of the meaning of the scores so that someone not familiar with the tests can interpret them. Using the sample tables as a guide, present the data for each test in the following ways: a. Indicate the test name and edition/publication year. b. Specify the grade at which the test was administered. c. Indicate the number of students in the grade and the number and percentage of students tested. d. Using tables (no charts or graphs), report scores in terms of NCEs or standard scores. Do not report percentiles or stanines. For each grade (not for each classroom), report the mean and the standard deviation for the test and each subtest. Report the national mean and standard deviation in the same metric as the scores. H3. H4. 14 e. Disaggregate the data for any ethnic/racial or socioeconomic groups that comprise 15 percent or more of the student body of your school. Show how all subgroups of students achieve at high levels or improve dramatically in achievement for at least two years and up to five years. Explain any disparity among subgroups and what you are doing to close the gaps. f. Specify which groups, if any, are excluded from a test, the reasons for the exclusion, as well as the number and percentage of students excluded. Describe how these students are assessed. g. Explain any patterns of increase or decline in test scores. Also, discuss the implications of any special circumstances that may affect student outcomes, such as an unusually high student mobility rate. h. Attach all test data to the end of this nomination package and continue numbering the pages consecutively. H5. What criterion-referenced tests do you use? What are the results for the last five years? Describe and report the data resulting from these tests using the appropriate prompts in H4, where applicable. It is the school's responsibility to provide sufficient explanation of the meaning of the scores so that someone not familiar with the tests can interpret them. Use the sample tables in the nomination package as a guide. Do not use graphs or charts. What alternative assessments of student performance do you use? Describe the assessments you used, present the results, and provide sufficient explanation of the meaning of the results so that someone not familiar with these forms of assessment can interpret the results. What are the data for the past five years in the following areas that serve as quantitative indicators of school climate and engagement? 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 Daily student attendance Daily teacher attendance Teacher turnover rate H6. H7. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ Explain any patterns of increase or decrease as well as special circumstances that affected any of these indicators. Report in terms of percentages, listing each of the past five years under each category. If you use other indicators of school performance, you may add up to three additional indicators to this list. Note: In computing student attendance, both excused and unexcused absences should be tallied as absent. Similarly, any teacher out for personal or sick leave should be tallied as absent. H8. Which awards received by your school, staff, or students are most indicative of school success? Limit your description of awards to 10 or fewer and explain the reasons for your choices. Give the year each award was received. 15 I. Previously Recognized Schools Blue Ribbon Schools seeking recognition again must highlight changes and improvements throughout the nomination package since they were last honored. Throughout the School SelfAssessment, schools previously recognized should explicitly document their progress since the earlier award and note any interactions with other schools in sharing their successful strategies. Previous nomination forms are not available to the review panel. Thus, you must take care to document all claims as thoroughly as a school applying for the first time. This section provides space for previously recognized schools to summarize their progress and accomplishments since the last recognition. Limit the summary statement to two pages. I1. What major changes and improvements have taken place since the school was last recognized? Have you had any interactions with other schools to share some of your successful strategies and practices? Has your staff been involved in leadership or training programs beyond your school to disseminate practices and programs? If so, please elaborate. I2. Part VI - Special Emphasis Areas (Optional) Note: Schools may apply for special honors in one of the two following special emphasis areas: 1) special education or 2) technology. For special education and technology, limit your descriptions to no more than three pages. These pages are in addition to the 30 pages allowed for Part V. The criteria for special emphasis areas may overlap with some items in the basic School SelfAssessment. Be sure to address such items fully in the main body of your nomination package and extend your presentation here. In evaluating the special emphasis areas, the National Review Panel will be looking for programs that are creative, innovative and fully implemented. The panel will consider such equity concerns as the inclusion of students with disabilities and limited English proficiency. Summarize available program evaluation data. Desirable characteristics for particular special emphasis areas follow. J1. a. Special education Access: The school community has identified potential barriers to the parents’ access to and participation in school wide activities, including meetings, assemblies, counseling opportunities, graduation, etc., and has proposed effective ways of overcoming these barriers. Assessment: The school community can demonstrate an effective early identification and intervention system, especially designed for students with potential reading or behavior concerns, and includes preventative, instructional and supportive intervention for those students and their parents. Staff Development: Training opportunities are designed to focus on the students’ unique needs and learning styles, and include instructional strategies that enhance the student’s ability to think, b. c. 16 understand, and apply learning to real-life situations in inclusive settings. d: Resources: The school community effectively utilizes external resources to enhance and sustain the involvement of parents and students with disabilities in activities and programs designed to improve the quality of life as a member of the school community. J2. Technology Technology: The school’s use of technology supports both instruction and school management. It has the following characteristics: a. Vision and Planning: A long-range plan that is continually updated supports a vision of technology for learning and school management and was developed collaboratively by those who participate in its implementation. Instructional Integration: The new technologies (for example, multimedia computers, laptops, and hand held devices, web-based learning resources, and distance learning) have been integrated into regular classrooms and all teachers and students in the school have access to the technology. There is a critical mass of users. The technology in the school is used as a tool to support student learning and integration into the curriculum. Emphasis is placed on students’ developing higher order thinking skills and information technology skills. Professional Development: There is high quality and continuous professional development for all educational personnel with a focus on integrating the technology into the curriculum and student learning. Technical Assistance and Support: Ongoing and accessible technology technical assistance and support are available for teachers, students, and other educational personnel. Home and Community Connectivity: Technology is used to support interactive school connections with home and community, and to extend opportunities for learning beyond the school day. b. c. d. e. 17 SAMPLE FORMATS FOR DISPLAYING ASSESSMENT DATA SAMPLE FOR NATIONAL NORM-REFERENCED TESTS ONLY Provide the following information for all tests. Complete a separate form for each test and grade level. Grade________ Edition/publication year________ Test_________________________________________ Publisher ____________________________________ What groups were excluded from testing, why, and how were they assessed? _______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Number excluded________ Percent excluded________ Scores are reported here as (check one): NCEs________ Scaled scores ________ Report results for at least two subtests that you believe best reflect student academic performance at your school. Examples of subtest content areas to be reported are: mathematics, language, reading comprehension. Report number and percent tested for total score even if they differ from the number and percent tested for subtests. 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 Testing month SCHOOL SCORES Total or Composite Score Number tested Percent tested SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) If you are reporting scaled scores, provide the national score and standard deviation for the total test and each subtest. 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 NATIONAL SCORES Total or Composite Score SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) STANDARD DEVIATIONS Total or Composite Standard Deviation SUBTEST STANDARD DEVIATIONS 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) In the narrative section of H4, note patterns of significant increase or decline in scores and explain why they occurred. Also discuss the implications of any special circumstances that may affect student outcomes. 18 SAMPLE FOR STATE OR DISTRICT NORM-REFERENCED TESTS ONLY Provide the following information for all tests. Complete a separate form for each test and grade level. Grade________ Edition/publication year________ Test_________________________________________ Publisher ____________________________________ What groups were excluded from testing, why, and how were they assessed? _______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Number excluded________ Percent excluded________ Scores are reported here as (check one): NCEs________ Scaled scores ________ Report results for at least two subtests that you believe best reflect student academic performance at your school. Examples of subtest content areas to be reported are: mathematics, language, reading comprehension. Report number and percent tested for total score even if they differ from the number and percent tested for subtests. In the narrative section of H4, note patterns of significant increase or decline in scores and explain why they occurred. Also discuss the implications of any special circumstances that may affect student outcomes. 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 Testing month SCHOOL SCORES Total or Composite Score Number tested Percent tested SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) If you are reporting scaled scores, provide the state score, district score, and the standard deviation for the total test and each subtest. 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 STATE SCORES Total or Composite Score SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) DISTRICT SCORES Total or Composite Score SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) STANDARD DEVIATIONS Total or Composite Standard Deviation SUBTEST STANDARD DEVIATIONS 1.__________ (specify subtest) 2.__________ (specify subtest) 3.__________ (specify subtest) 19 SAMPLE FOR STATE OR DISTRICT CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS ONLY The Data Display Table is illustrated on the following page. Provide the following information for all tests. Complete a separate form for each test and grade level. Grade________ Edition/publication year________ Test_________________________________________ Publisher ____________________________________ What groups were excluded from testing, why, and how were they assessed? _______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Number excluded________ Percent excluded________ For your school, district, and state, report scores as the percent of students tested whose performance was scored at or above the cutpoint for 1) proficient and 2) at or above the cutpoint for excellent. Note that the reported percentage of students scoring above the proficient cutpoint should include students scoring above the excellent cutpoint. Report number and percent tested for total score even if they differ from the number and percent tested for subtests. In the narrative section of H5, explain how these data show that your students are scoring at a significantly high level. Explain your standards for proficient and excellent and what the test results mean in a way that someone unfamiliar with the test can interpret the results. Note patterns of significant increase or decline in scores and explain why they occurred. Also discuss the implications of any special circumstances that may affect student outcomes. 20 SAMPLE FOR STATE OR DISTRICT CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS ONLY Data Display Table 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997 1995-1996 Testing month SCHOOL SCORES TOTAL OR COMPOSITE SCORE At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent Number tested Percent tested SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 2.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 3.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent DISTRICT SCORES TOTAL OR COMPOSITE SCORE At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 2.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 3.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent STATE SCORES (if applicable) TOTAL OR COMPOSITE SCORE At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent SUBTEST SCORES 1.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 2.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 3.__________ (specify subtest) At or Above Proficient At or Above Excellent 21 SAMPLE FOR SUBGROUP RESULTS: FORMAT ONE Complete a separate form for each test and each grade level. Present at least two years of data to show decreasing disparity among subgroups. Some subgroup examples are: (a) Ethnicity (e.g., American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White) (b) Language Status (e.g., Limited English proficient, Non-English speaker, English Fluent, English Only) (c) Socioeconomic Status (e.g., Eligible for free and reduced meals, not eligible for free and reduced meals) Grade________ Edition/publication year________ Test_________________________________________ Publisher ____________________________________ Report subgroup results in the same way, using the same metric, as you did when you reported school-wide results in H4 or H5 for this test (e.g., scaled scores, NCEs, percent at or above proficient and excellent). Report number and percent tested for total score even if they differ from the number and percent tested for subtests. (Specify Subgroup below) Ethnicity Language Status Socioeconomic Status SUBGROUP SCORES Total Score, ______ (specify 1st year) Total Score,______ (specify 2nd year) No. tested, ______ (specify 1st year) No. tested, ______ (specify 2nd year) % tested, ______ (specify 1st year) % tested, ______ (specify 2nd year) SUBTEST SCORES 1. ___________,____ (specify subtest & 1st yr ) 1. ___________,____ (specify subtest & 2nd yr ) 2. ___________,____ (specify subtest & 1st yr ) 2. ___________,____ (specify subtest & 2nd yr ) 3. ___________,____ (specify subtest & 1st yr ) 3. ___________,____ (specify subtest & 2nd yr ) Note patterns of significant increase or decline in scores and explain why they occurred. Also discuss the implications of any special circumstances that may affect student outcomes. 22 SAMPLE FOR SUBGROUP RESULTS: FORMAT TWO Complete a separate form for each year, each test, and each grade level. Present at least two years of data to show decreasing disparity among subgroups. Some subgroup examples are: (a) Ethnicity (e.g., American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White) (b) Language Status (e.g., Limited English proficient, Non-English speaker, English Fluent, English Only) (c) Socioeconomic Status (e.g., Eligible for free and reduced meals, not eligible for free and reduced meals) Grade________ Test_________________________________________ Publisher ____________________________________ Edition/publication year________ Year Tested ___________ Report subgroup results in the same way, using the same metric, as you did when you reported schoolwide results in H4 or H5 for this test (e.g., scaled scores, NCEs, percent at or above proficient and excellent). Report number and percent tested for total score even if they differ from the number and percent tested for subtests. (Specify Subgroup below) Ethnicity Language Status Socioeconomic Status SUBGROUP SCORES Total or Composite Score Number tested Percent tested SUBTEST SCORES 1. ____________ (specify subtest) 2. ____________ (specify subtest) 3. ____________ (specify subtest) Note patterns of significant increase or decline in scores and explain why they occurred. Also discuss the implications of any special circumstances that may affect student outcomes. 23 PRIVATE SCHOOL ADDENDUM The purpose of this addendum is to obtain additional information from private schools relevant to the sections of the Self-Assessment noted below. Attach the completed addendum to the end of the nomination package, before the assessment data Cover Sheet Date of Founding: Private school association(s): (Give primary religious or independent association only) Does your school have nonprofit, tax exempt (501(c)(3) status? Yes ______ No ______ Part II - Demographics 3. What are your 2000-2001 tuition rates, by grade? (Do not include room, board, or fees) $______ PreK $______ 4th $______ 8th     $______ 1st $______ 5th $______ Other $______ $______ 2nd $______ 6th $______ 3rd $______ 7th What is your educational cost per student? (School budget divided by enrollment) What is the average financial aid per student? What percentage of your annual budget is devoted to scholarship assistance and/or tuition reduction? What percentage of students receive scholarship assistance? (Including tuition reduction) $______ ______% ______% 7. Briefly describe your school's efforts to achieve a racially and economically diverse, multicultural student enrollment. Include your admissions criteria. 24 Private School Addendum (Continued) Address each of the following questions. Retype and bold all questions. Insert each question and your response after the corresponding question in Part V (for example., A3a would follow A3). Part V - Learning Centered Schools Criteria A2a. For special education schools, how do you assist in planning access to further services after students leave the school? Describe how the school develops its annual budget, and explain any special budgetary circumstances. Has the school operated on a balanced budget over the last three years? Indicate how the school communicates to parents, alumni and/or alumnae, and others the facts about its financial management. What number and percentage of your students have been expelled or asked to leave the school? Develop a categorization of reasons for involuntary departure and indicate the number of students in each category. F1a. H6a. 25