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No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program Cover Sheet Name of Principal: Mr. Timothy Foley


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U.S. Department of Education November 2003







2003-2004 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Cover Sheet
Name of Principal: Mr. Timothy Foley
Official School Name: Marengo Valley Elementary School
School Mailing Address: 62408 State Highway 112
City: Ashland State: WI Zip Code: 54806-4128
Tel. (715)278-3286 Fax ( 715)278-3586
Website/URL: www.ashland.k12.wi.us E-mail: tfoley@ashland.k12.wi.us
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
Date____________________________

(Principal’s Signature)


Name of Superintendent: Mr. Ken Kasinski
District Name: Ashland Tel. (715 )682-7080
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date____________________________ (Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mr. Carl Smith

I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.


Date____________________________

(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)



PART I   ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION


The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school's eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.




  1. The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12. (Schools with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)

  2. The school has not been in school improvement status or been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s adequate yearly progress requirement in the 2003-2004 school year.




  1. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language as a part of its core curriculum.

  2. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 1998.

  3. The nominated school or district is not refusing the OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district wide compliance review.

  4. 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 the OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.

  5. 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.

  6. 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; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.

PART II   DEMOGRAPHIC DATA


DISTRICT
1. Number of schools in the district: 3 Elementary Schools

1 Middle Schools

0 Junior High Schools

1 High Schools
5 TOTAL

2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: $10,133


Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: $10,006

SCHOOL

3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:


[ ] Urban or large central city

[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area

[ ] Suburban

[ ] Small city or town in a rural area

[X ] Rural

4. 14 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.



If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?
5. Number of students enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school:


Grade

# of Males

# of Females

Grade Total




Grade

# of Males

# of Females

Grade Total

K

12

15

27




7










1

18

13

31




8










2

10

14

24




9










3

13

14

27




10










4

8

13

21




11










5

9

8

17




12










6

12

10

22




Other













TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL  169




6. Racial/ethnic composition of 99.4 % White

the students in the school: % Black or African American



% Hispanic or Latino

.6 % Asian/Pacific Islander

% American Indian/Alaskan Native

100% Total
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 3.7 %
(This rate includes 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 the school as of October 1, multiplied by 100.)


(1)

Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until the end of the year.

4

(2)

Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year.

2

(3)

Subtotal of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]

6

(4)

Total number of students in the school as of October 1

162

(5)

Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4)

.0370

(6)

Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100

3.7

8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 0%



0%Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: 0

Specify languages:

9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 67%



113 Total Number Students Who Qualify
If this method does not produce a reasonably accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low income families or the school does not participate in the federally supported lunch program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it arrived at this estimate.
10. Students receiving special education services: 2.4%

4 Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
____Autism ____Orthopedic Impairment

____Deafness ____Other Health Impaired

____Deaf-Blindness ____Specific Learning Disability

____Hearing Impairment 2 Speech or Language Impairment

____Mental Retardation ____Traumatic Brain Injury

1 Multiple Disabilities ____Visual Impairment Including Blindness

ED/OT (consult only) 1


  1. Indicate number of full time and part time staff members in each of the categories below:


Number of Staff
Full-time Part-Time
Administrator(s) _______ 1

Classroom teachers 10 ________


Special resource teachers/specialists 1 7
Paraprofessionals 2 1

Support staff 3 1


Total number 16 10

12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio: 16.9 to 1


13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. The student dropout rate is defined by the state. The student drop-off rate is the difference between the number of entering students and the number of exiting students from the same cohort. (From the same cohort, subtract the number of exiting students from the number of entering students; divide that number by the number of entering students; multiply by 100 to get the percentage drop-off rate.) Briefly explain in 100 words or fewer any major discrepancy between the dropout rate and the drop-off rate. (Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates and only high schools need to supply drop-off rates.)






2002-2003

2001-2002

2000-2001

1999-2000

1998-1999

Daily student attendance

95.52

95.92

96.13

95.72

95.58

Daily teacher attendance

95.6

97.0

98.0

94.0

94.6

Teacher turnover rate

0.00

1.0

2.0

1.0

0.00

Student dropout rate

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Student drop-off rate

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA


PART III   SUMMARY

Marengo Valley Elementary School, Ashland, Wisconsin, is a rural K-6 school serving 169 children. In addition to academics, our school also has a focus on environmental activities.


Curriculum and Programs: Everyday Math, Connected Math (sixth grade), F.O.S.S. Science, Houghton Mifflin Reading, Guided Reading, Writer’s Workshop, a computerized reading program called Accelerated Reader, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), keyboarding, Art, Music, Gifted and Talented, Physical Education, Guidance, Library, and Title I. Kindergarten through third grade classrooms are a part of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education Program which guarantees a small (15:1) pupil/teacher ratio.
Marengo Valley School places students at its center, providing them with a challenging, diverse, and progressive curriculum adjusted to the pace and abilities of each student. We believe that:

  • Students come first.

  • All students will be given the opportunity to learn.

  • Students who need to accelerate will have the opportunity to accelerate.

  • A rich, diverse, and progressive curriculum that meets the needs of our students (which includes a continuous cycle of evaluation) is a necessity.

  • Evaluation of student growth is important and is accomplished by testing and reflected in other non-traditional methods (i.e. Portrait of a Graduate).

  • Our students deserve excellent teachers, and this will be accomplished through the following process: hiring, training, evaluation and retention.

  • Co-curricular activities need to center on positive, personal growth experiences for all participants.

  • Family involvement is a key element in student success.

  • A safe learning environment is essential for our students and staff.

  • All staff plays an important role in student education and school environment.

  • The people impacted by decisions need to be involved in the decision-making process.

  • The District must be fiscally responsible.

  • Maintaining our buildings is a fiscal responsibility.

  • It is essential to keep our community informed as to what is going on in our school system.

  • Information given to the media should be positive and accurate and highlight the broad spectrum of activities and students in the Ashland School District.

  • A strong communication system is needed between school administrators and members of the Board.

In addition to the information provided in the preceding paragraphs reviewers need to know of the commitment made by staff at Marengo Valley School to research proven instructional strategies. Lessons are developed, inclusive of the principles of clinical supervision as outlined by Dr. Madeline Hunter twenty years ago. We still find that there is no better outline for instruction to follow than the clinical supervision model.


PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The achievement test used in Wisconsin is called the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) and is administered each year to 4th, 8th and 10th graders. Student achievement on that test are reported as the percent of students who are determined to be Advanced, Proficient, Minimal or Basic in their proficiency in core subject matter areas. The charts above illustrate the percent of 4th grade students at Marengo Valley Elementary School in the Ashland School District who are either proficient or advanced in reading, language and math. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that all children be proficient or advanced in reading and math by 2014.
The first chart shows a three-year trend of academic achievement at Marengo Valley. All 4th grade children at Marengo Valley have consistently been either proficient or advanced in reading over the past three years. In language, all 4th graders at Marengo Valley were proficient or advanced in 2002-03. In 2001-02 and 2000-01, 92% and 96% respectively were proficient or advanced. In math, 95%, 96%, and 92% of Marengo Valley’s 4th graders were proficient or advanced over the past three years. These are extremely high schools, and show a strength of consistency and stability of high academic achievement. Given the national goal for student success, Marengo Valley has consistently demonstrated the level of achievement expected of all schools 10 years in the future.
Not only does Marengo Valley demonstrate high achievement over the years, but it also demonstrates a much higher level of achievement than other 4th grade students across the state of Wisconsin. The second chart above illustrates the achievement levels in reading, language and math at Marengo Valley compared to the state average in 2002-03. The achievement gap between Marengo Valley and the state in reading is 20 percentage points, 22 percentage points in language and 24 percentage points in math. This achievement gap is large and consistent across the three subject areas. This data indicates that clearly something is going on with instruction at Marengo Valley that results in learning at high levels that is more effective than what is going on across the state.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that all children in various disaggregated subgroup populations in schools also reach the proficient and advanced achievement goals. These disaggregated populations are special education, limited English speaking, economically disadvantaged, ethnic background, and migrant students. Out of the 18 4th grade students at Marengo Valley in 2002-03, 12 were determined to be economically disadvantaged, which was based on the number of students whose parents qualify for free or reduced school lunches. This criteria for determining economic disadvantaged students is consistent with federal regulations in determining economic status or poverty levels of children.
The third chart indicates the academic achievement of Marengo Valley’s 4th grade students who are economically disadvantaged compared to economically disadvantaged 4th graders across the state. The achievement gap, or discrepancy, between Marengo Valley and the state average is even larger for poverty level students than for all students. The achievement gap between Marengo Valley and the state for disadvantaged students is 33 percentage points in reading, 38 percentage points in language and 40 percentage points math. The conclusion that can be drawn from this data is that instruction at Marengo Valley is far more effective for children from low income families than the instruction provided to children from low income families across the state.
Marengo Valley Elementary School regularly updates and reviews achievement data to continually strive to improve curriculum and instruction, and to maintain academic excellence. Marengo Valley participates with other schools in the Ashland School District in “data retreats”, in which achievement data from all sources; state level tests, local standardized tests and classroom assessments and grades; are examined and discussed amongst teachers and administrators. These data retreats are flexible depending on the needs of the schools. Some are three days in duration, the third day dedicated to creating a data based school improvement plan including specific action steps needed to be taken in order to improve student achievement. Other forms of data retreats may take the form of a one day update of data from the state tests with a particular focus on the achievement of students from low performing groups. Regardless, the discussions about student achievement that evolve from a data retreat result in development of or updates to existing school improvement plans. These school improvement plans are made part of the district Strategic Plans for each school, which is also updated on a regular basis.
The Marengo Valley Elementary School communicates student performance to parents, students, and the community in a variety of ways. Academic success in the classroom is regularly reported to students and parents through quarterly report cards. Also, parents and community members receive regular newsletters from the school about student achievement as well as the type of curriculum and instruction being used and why. For example, a parent brochure was created last year, which provided a comprehensive analysis of achievement scores on the state test, Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam, and suggested ways parents can help their child improve in their academic success. In addition, the local newspaper, the Daily Press, provides a thorough comparative report of state test results for all schools in the area for each grade level and subject area tested.
There are many opportunities for sharing the success achieved at Marengo Valley Elementary School with other schools in the area and around the state. The most obvious way to share success in the area is through the local newspaper, the Daily Press. The Daily Press has a wide circulation, not only in the city of Ashland, but also in Ashland and Bayfield counties. There are seven school districts within these two counties. Articles in the CESA 12 newsletter, The Courier, would also be written to highlight and explain how Marengo Valley has achieved its success. CESA 12 is a Cooperative Educational Service Agency service agency, which exists to meet the educational needs of 18 school districts, including Ashland, in northern Wisconsin. In addition, information about Marengo Valley’s success would be shared with all 18 CESA 12 superintendents at regularly held district administrator’s meetings at CESA 12. These meetings would allow personal exchanges and questions about how success was attained, rather than just one-way communication via the newspaper and newsletters. Another way success can be shared across the area is through data retreats when multiple schools and school districts participate. Marengo Valley’s programs and approaches to curriculum and instruction would be highlighted during the school improvement phases of data retreats. Statewide, articles and news releases would be sent to the Department of Public Instruction for explanation and promotion in DPI written and web based publications.

PART V – CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION


  1. Describe in one page the school’s curriculum.

The Marengo Valley School curriculum is focused on and evaluated continuously based on the objectives and learner outcomes stated in the Model Academic Standards of the State of Wisconsin. Each core subject; mathematics, reading, English/Language arts, science and social studies has had its curriculum reviewed during the past five years and rewritten to reflect state standards. In addition new materials have been purchased to facilitate the appropriate instruction.


The core and centerpiece of our reading curriculum is Early Reading Empowerment. Everyday Mathematics, a U.S. Department of Education recognized program is our flagship program for mathematics. Elementary science uses a hands-on investigative approach. F.O.S.S. kits and materials are provided for each teacher and student for science instruction. Our English/Language Arts program uses the “writer’s workshop” approach as practiced by Dr. Mary Meisen from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire to teach writing skills and critical thinking. Social Studies instruction follows the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards and uses the Nystrom materials for student instruction. Art is offered to students weekly using a blended curriculum which teaches traditional objectives infused with the use of modern technology and computer graphics.
All learners experience the same high quality curriculum. There are no segregated classrooms at Marengo Valley School. Pull out for regular instruction is not included as part of building practices. Inclusion is mandated for 100% of the children who attend Marengo Valley School.
2. Describe in one-half page the school’s reading curriculum, including a description of why the school chose this particular approach to reading.
The School District of Ashland initiated Guided Reading and Early Reading Empowerment as the core of the primary level reading curriculum since 1996. The rationale for selecting these reading programs is that for years the Title I Department observed that once a child began first grade in Title I, there was a very good chance that he/she would continue in Title I through the middle school years. As a department, we knew that we wanted to make a difference in the students’ lives. After researching Reading Recovery, Ohio State based program, we found that the exorbitant cost made it prohibitive for our school district. During that same year, our District Reading Specialist attended the WI State Reading Association Convention in 1995 and learned about Early Reading Empowerment (ERE). ERE and Reading Recovery are almost identical programs. We, as a district, knew that this was financially possible and through the purchase of a compressed video system, PictureTel, we were able to acquire the long distance learning of this valuable and successful program.
Within our district, we currently have our entire Title I Department trained in ERE as well as 18 classroom teachers and two of our Special Education staff. ERE teachers teach children at risk of reading failure in the beginning stages of reading so they develop enough ability to operate successfully in at least the average range in their classrooms. ERE also develops teachers who are able to apply the key concepts of Early Reading Empowerment across the primary reading curriculum. Our Title I as well as Special Education numbers have dramatically declined since 1997. Guided Reading is working in the classrooms because classroom teachers, reading teachers, and learning disabilities teachers are working toward continuity and consistency in the reading curriculum. Such consistency reduces the confusion for the students and is the basis for a strong primary reading program. ERE teachers are empowered to be self-evaluative and flexible in applying key teaching concepts of ERE to their reading group settings.
All teachers use Reading Recovery leveled books from our ERE library and, therefore, all teachers are speaking the same language. It works very well in our district and that is evident from the scores of the WI Comprehension Reading Test at Grade 3 as well as the results on the WSAS tests. The development of peer coaching is a central component of this program. Like students, teachers are expected to develop an independent self-monitoring, self-extending learning system.


  1. Describe in one-half page one other curriculum area of the school’s choice and show how it relates to essential skills and knowledge based on the school’s mission.

Everyday Mathematics is included on the U.S. Department of Education’s list of “Promising and Exemplary Programs.” It also follows the National Council of Teacher’s of Mathematics standards for mathematics instruction for elementary students. The State of Wisconsin model academic standards are also based on these as well. Everyday Math is a standards based, process approach to math instruction that stresses process, practical application of math skills to every day situations and cooperative learning. We get an excellent result using Everyday Mathematics. At Marengo Valley School we believe that math literacy is essential in helping students succeed in their future endeavors. Everyday Mathematics poses real-life problems for students to solve and allows them to experience mathematics at the application level. As early as kindergarten students are given word problems and real situations to apply their mathematical skills to solving. Another significant feature of the Everyday Mathematics curriculum is that it requires a high level of reading skill before students can be successful. Therefore, as we go forward with the school’s primary mission which is to develop fluent and able readers by grade 3, we use our mathematics curriculum as part of a total process to ensure that students can read and apply what they read to everyday real-life situations.




  1. Describe in one-half page the different instructional methods the school uses to improve student learning.

The primary instructional method used at Marengo Valley School is cooperative learning. We feel that citizenship is essential to success in our free society. Cooperative group work allows students to work together to achieve learning goals. It works well for us. When teacher-centered instruction is used we follow the model of lesson design that introduces the lesson with an anticipatory set followed by a statement of objective. Key components of the lesson are modeling, input, checking for understanding, guided and independent practice followed by a closure. This traditional pattern yields a wonderful result for our students. The other instructional method that is extensively used at Marengo Valley School both for re-mediation and the implementation of our early reading empowerment program is one-on-one tutoring. Educational research shows that especially for disadvantaged learners, students with disabilities, or minor students one-one-one tutoring is the most successful methodology that can be used to re-mediate deficiencies in learning core subjects. We are fortunate at Marengo Valley School to have the luxury of several staff who have been trained in the early reading empowerment process which utilizes a tutorial one-one-one or two-on-one format to re-mediate reading deficiencies. Our parent community has stepped up when we have asked for parents to participate in the learning process as well in that we have strong support from volunteer parent tutors who will assist classroom teachers in re-mediating difficulties or helping with children who lag behind in a certain key area. Lastly, in response to the No Child Left Behind legislation we have excellent trained and fully-qualified support staff available on-site to work as instructional partners with classroom teachers to provide one-on-one remedial instruction or enrichment for students who require it.




  1. Describe in one-half page the school’s professional development program and its impact on improving student achievement.

Each core curriculum area has a staff development component built in to it. The staff at Marengo Valley School are given direct access to the district’s staff development budget through Mr. Foley, the building principal and Director of Curriculum. Teachers are expected to participate in at least one professional development activity per year at district expense and during school time. Each summer the Ashland School District is a co-sponsor of a region-wide staff development academy in cooperation with CESA 12. Marengo Valley staff are encouraged to attend this in-service event. All expenses are paid by the district. Reviewers are invited to consider the test data provided for all core subjects as part of this application. The pattern of excellence is directly linked to the quality work done by the professional staff. Staff development is essential as it allows staff a chance to improve skills and learn curriculum. The major staff development initiative which has been and will occur at Marengo Valley School for the 2004-2005 school year is related to technology and computerized enhancements for instruction. Through a Title I grant we have purchased a mobile computer lab that will provide rural, disadvantaged students with an equitable technology opportunity equal to or better than that experience by their cohort peers at Lake Superior Primary and Lake Superior Intermediate School. This wireless computer lab will allow teachers to not only teach the district’s technology curriculum but will provide students with an opportunity to experience first-hand internet research, learning programs such as the Accelerated Reader, and provide rural children with a general access to outside world information that prior to the implementation of this lab they did not have. Marengo Valley staff will begin in-servicing on this new equipment beginning the week of March 29, 2004, on through the remainder of this school year and into the next. This training will be provided by Mr. Brad Bergman, our district’s technologist. However, to re-state the most important staff development initiatives that we offer to staff training on core-subject material is the most and the best of what we do here and the staff development budget that the district controls is primarily devoted to providing high-quality research-based training in the areas of Everyday Mathematics, Writer’s Workshop, Foss Science and Early Reading Empowerment.



PART VII - ASSESSMENT RESULTS
Mathematics Achievement Table I Marengo Valley School

Wisconsin State Assessment System CTB McGraw Hill

Grade 4 Math

Testing Month – Oct./Nov.

2003-2004

2002-2003

2001-2002

2000-2001

1999-2000

SCHOOL SCORES
















Total – Percent of students….
















Basic

0

6

4

8

4

Minimal

10

0

0

0

0

Proficient

48

56

58

67

52

Advanced

43

39

38

25

43

Number of students tested

21

19

24

24

23

Percent of total students tested

100

100

100

100

100

Number of students excluded

0

0

0

0

0

Percent of students excluded

0

0

0

0

0



















Subgroup Scores
















1. Low Income

11

12

*

*

*

Basic

0

8










Minimal

9

0










Proficient

45

42










Advanced

45

50










2. Special Education

0

0

0

0

0

Basic
















Minimal
















Proficient
















Advanced
















3. Asian/Pacific Islander

1

0

0

0

0

Basic
















Minimal
















Proficient
















Advanced

100































State Scores
















Total – Percent of students…
















Basic




82

92

91

94

Minimal
















Proficient




71

69

65

75

Advanced




30

25

21

31

* Suppressed for privacy reasons.



Reading Achievement Table II Marengo Valley School

Wisconsin State Assessment System


Testing Month – Oct./Nov.

2003-2004

2002-2003

2001-2002

2000-2001

1999-2000

SCHOOL SCORES
















Total – Percent of students….
















Basic

5

0

0

17

0

Minimal

0

0

0

20

0

Proficient

33

39

88

50

78

Advanced

62

61

13

13

22

Number of students tested

21

18

24

24

23

Percent of total students tested

100

100

100

100

100

Number of students excluded

0

0

0

0

0

Percent of students excluded

0

0

0

0

0



















Subgroup Scores
















1. Low Income

11

12

*

*

*

Basic

9













Minimal
















Proficient

18

33










Advanced

73

67










2. Special Education

1

0

0

0

0

Basic
















Minimal
















Proficient

100













Advanced
















3. Asian/Pacific Islander

1













Basic
















Minimal
















Proficient
















Advanced

100































State Scores
















Total – Percent of students…
















Basic




92

90

89

89

Minimal
















Proficient




80

79

77

77

Advanced




40

18

17

15

* Suppressed for privacy reasons.



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