Executive Summary. Ball Elementary School

Transcription

1 Rapides Parish School System Mrs. Lisa Lowery, Principal 89 Camp Livingston Road Ball, LA Document Generated On December 14, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? The Town of Ball has a long, rich history with the earliest recorded settlement dating back to the 1840's. Today, Ball is the third largest municipality in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. Located in the central part of our state we are just 141 miles northwest of our capital city of Baton Rouge and 219 miles from New Orleans. Ball has a total population of 4,500, representing a growth rate of 8.7% between 2000 and Those moving into the town of Ball with school age children have demonstrated a slight upward trend in financial status based upon those who qualify for free/reduced lunch. is a public school in Ball, Louisiana. It has 315 students in grades PK and K-6 with a breakdown of 171 males and 144 females. 69% of our students are on free/reduced lunch, which indicates our community has a higher level of poverty than the state average. Even with the struggles our families face according to state standards, 80% of students at this school are considered proficient in ELA and 86% in Math. Their overall SPS (School Performance Score) was 99.9% = B, only one tenth of a point away from an A! This is proof that our students are overcoming challenges and thriving in our school environment. Ball Elementary provides flexible academic programs to ensure that every child learns the essential knowledge and skills necessary for success in college and/or career by improving the quality of instruction through a shared set of principles and guiding instruction. The school serves students in pre-kindergarten through grade six. Its academic curriculum includes classes in ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Computer Education, Enrichment and Resource Classes. Ball Elementary maintains a library that provides books, e- books, magazines, reference materials, and online search engines and databases. Ball Elementary additionally provides the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program. It is governed by the Rapides Parish School District, which additionally manages various elementary, middle and high schools. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. Our school provides a safe, warm, and hospitable atmosphere which invigorates everything we strive to do. Our current staff enrollment is 34 and each employee displays collaboration and the willingness to provide our students with the best education possible. The mission of Ball Elementary is "to be the best in academics, leadership, and learning for all students." The mission statement and school purpose is reviewed and implemented by all staff members to ensure our students have every opportunity to receive the best education available at Ball Elementary. Our students review the mission statement daily in their classes and our staff lives it out and models it for them. To ensure our mission statement is carried out to the best of our abilities- our staff is engaged in rigorous professional learning. Ball Elementary has ensured its teachers have been trained to implement their curriculum in diverse and engrossing strategies. Through professional development from the district, collaborative learning groups, cross grade-level data sharing, and weekly faculty trainings, our staff is thoroughly prepared to meet the needs of our students. Ball Elementary staff members are also leading in our district. Many of our staff members have been selected to lead in curriculum roll out teams and district training sessions. Our students are learning to lead as well through 4H, BETA, Band, DARE, Archery, and Fitness Team. As the students take ownership of their school, Ball Elementary becomes more of a family atmosphere where we support and encourage each other. To ensure state of the art learning is available at Ball Elementary, our school is equipped with Smartboards in every classroom, two fully functional computer labs, and class sets of laptops/ipads. These devices allow our students to stay on the cutting edge of an ever changing and developing education world. At Ball Elementary, we believe data steers our education so we strive to use relevant timely data to drive our school. Our teachers meet 3 times per week to discuss data and implementation strategies. Students participate in 150 minutes of instruction based solely on data and growth- including cross grade level enrichment. Here at Ball Elementary- we are the Best at Academics, Leadership, and Learning for ALL STUDENTS. Page 3

6 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Some of the notable achievements in the last three years are: - Increase in school performance score - Increase in high stakes test scores - 7 teachers involved at the district level in curriculum planning. - 6 staff members teaching professional development at the district level - Increase Accelerated Reader points and goal achievement- 3 year upward trend - Elementary Technology Educator of the Year for the region Areas of Improvement are: - Increase in core subject area through the methods of diverse and differentiated instruction and data. - Implementation of RTI and Enrichment programs across grade levels. - Enveloping all stakeholders into the education process of each student. Page 4

7 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. The implementation of strong distributive leadership practices enables teacher leaders to work together in professional learning, collaborative planning, and decision-making. The teachers are excellent persons who foster a positive, caring relationship with students to motivate them to learn in a non-threatening environment. At, teaching is a relationship. Professional learning has always been a requirement for the faculty employed at Ball Elementary. Teachers and administrators who attend professional development return and present to the rest of the faculty so that each person in the school can benefit. The teachers are a major component for the success of the school. Their wealth of knowledge and love of learning contribute to the culture of collaboration in our Ball Elementary Family. Page 5