McNairy County Schools Cecil W Stroup 493 McNairy Central Road Selmer, TN 38375 Document Generated On October 16, 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 8
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
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? (MCHS), a comprehension rural public school for students in grades nine through twelve, is located on 147 acres in rural southwest Tennessee. The 2012-2013 academic year marks the forty-fourth year since the high schools at Bethel Springs, Michie, Ramer, and Selmer were consolidated to form MCHS. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, McNairy Central serves students from four feeder schools: Bethel Springs Elementary, Michie Elementary, Ramer Elementary, and Selmer Middle School. MCHS has been a member of the High Schools That Work network since 1993. The HSTW key practices help guide our school improvement efforts and provide valuable professional development and networking opportunities for our school. McNairy Central's school year consists of 190 days for teachers, with a minimum of 180 days of instruction. MCHS operates on a 4 x 4 block schedule, with 92 minutes allotted for each class period. MCHS offers students several extra help opportunities before, during and after school. Other programs which are designed to offer students academic assistance and prevent drop-outs include summer school, Project Catch Up, peer tutoring, and a credit recovery program. Staff Characteristics McNairy Central currently has sixty full-time certified professional staff members and four part-time certified professional staff, including three administrators, 56 classroom teachers, a librarian, 2 counselors, and a county-wide social worker. Of the professional staff, 41% hold a Masters degree or higher, including four who hold Educational Specialist degrees. The majority of the staff members (57%) have more than ten years of experience in public education. Fifteen current staffers (24%) have five to ten years of experience, and twelve (19%) have taught fewer than five years. Twenty-eight of the certified staff members are graduates of McNairy Central. Racially, it is 98% Caucasian and 2% African-American. Members of the professional staff are active in numerous professional organizations, including the National Education Association (and its state and local affiliates), discipline-related organizations. Auxiliary staff members include a secretary, a bookkeeper, a guidance secretary, a data entry clerk, a library assistant, thirteen special education assistants, five custodians, a cafeteria manager, and eight cafeteria assistants. Student Characteristics MCHS currently serves 755 students. There are 180 students in grade 9, 194 students in grade 10, 191 students in grade 11, and 190 students in grade 12. Of the 755 students enrolled in the fall of 2012, 51% are male and 49% are female. Caucasians make up 88% of the student body, whereas African-Americans comprise 10%, and Hispanics/Other comprise 2%. Reflecting the economic status of the community, 54% of the student body is eligible for the free/reduced lunch program. Student attendance over the past three years has consistently remained above the state goal of 93% and the graduation rate for the previous school year is 91%. During the 2011-2012 school year, a total of 849 discipline referrals were reported with the most common citations being for cell phones (107), violation of school rules (198), and tardiness (207). These violations accounted for 60% of all discipline referrals. Community Characteristics According to the 2010 census, McNairy County is home to 26,075 residents (91.75% Caucasian, 5.94% African-American, 1.52% Hispanic, 0.23% American Indian, and 0.19% Asian). Selected Social Characteristics reflects that 75.1% of McNairy County adults have earned a high school diploma. A meager 10.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income in McNairy County is $34,777. The most recent employment statistics indicate that McNairy County has an unemployment rate of 7.5%. The chief sources of income in McNairy Page 2
County are manufacturing and agriculture. Throughout the past three year, unemployment has increased in our county because of the closing of some major companies in our area. Unique Features and Challenges There are several unique features and challenges associated with the community. Because we are located in a small rural community, the community is involved in many ways with our school and our students. A number of local businesses are active in school functions through a network of advisory committees, action teams, and booster clubs. Businesses throughout the extended community provide equipment and school supplies as well as janitorial supplies. Members of the community contribute to the overwhelming success of the Senior Project, serving as mentors and judges. The University of Tennessee at Martin partners with MCHS to offer dual credit courses on campus. Tennessee Technology Center at Crump and Jackson State Community College extends to students the opportunity for articulation in designated career-technical areas. Several businesses in the area welcome student visits/field trips and, upon request, send personnel to the school to judge class presentations or to speak about their areas of expertise. In addition, churches, civic organizations, private citizens, and corporations offer over 20 scholarships or grants to MCHS students annually. Area businesses also provide opportunities for CDC special education students to job shadow which has led to full employment for those students after high school. There are some challenges to being in a small rural community. Because of the lack of jobs in our area, we have experienced a decrease in the number of students participating in work based learning. We also have more families that are struggling financially because parents have lost jobs in recent years. Because the financial strain, the school has had to make adjustments in school fees and supplies being required. Page 3
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. School's Purpose: The purpose of all McNairy County schools is "building the future, one child at a time". Vision: McNairy Central is reaching today's students and developing tomorrow's leaders. The mission of is to prepare students for post-secondary success by equipping them intellectually, physically, socially, and ethically. Belief Statements: 1. The school has the responsibility to provide a safe, caring, and comfortable learning environment where students can learn. 2. The curriculum is guided by state standards and is broad enough to allow students to acquire the skills and attitudes needed to become confident, self-directed, and life-long learners. 3. The curriculum is taught using a wide variety of instructional strategies including work-based learning, cooperative learning, research projects, differentiated instruction, and technology based instruction. 4. Students' learning needs are the primary focus of all decisions impacting the work of our school. 5. All students can learn and have opportunities for success when they are actively engaged in the learning process and are held to higher standards. 6. Students are assessed in each subject area using a variety of assessments methods that are tied to the state-mandated tests. 7. Schools have the responsibility to provide opportunities that expose students to cultural heritage and the arts. 8. Schools have the responsibility to help students develop social interaction skills, communication skills, reasoning skills, exemplary character traits, and a healthful lifestyle as well as academic skills. 9. Federal, state, and local policies, along with input from all stakeholders, guide the day-to-day decisions of school administration and faculty. embodies its purpose through the program offerings and expectations for all students. As students complete the requirements for graduation, they are prepared to enter college or the work force. Students have the opportunity to complete dual credit courses, dual enrollment courses, advanced placement courses as well as a career focused coursework. All students develop a six-year plan prior to beginning their ninth grade year with input from parents and school personnel. The plan is revisited and revisions made each spring to ensure that students are meeting the requirements for graduation and developing their focus area. Decisions about personnel and course offerings are based on student needs and interests. McNairy Central teachers use differentiated instructional strategies in order to meet the needs of every student in the classroom. Teachers assess students in a variety of ways in order to allow every student to demonstrate what he/she has mastered. Teachers have high expectations of all students and support programs have been implemented to help students achieve their goals. Students have the opportunity to receive extra help before, during and after school. There are also alternative learning environments available for students that cannot succeed in the regular school setting. Page 4
We believe that all students should have an individualized learning plan that will prepare them for their future. This plan allows students to explore career options while they complete the coursework required to enter a four year university. Our goal is to give every student an opportunity to be successful in their chosen post secondary endeavor. We believe that it is our responsibility to provide a safe and orderly environment where students can learn and grow intellectually, physically, socially and ethically. Page 5
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. McNairy Central's Notable Achievements Improved Curriculum for all students - At McNairy Central, our philosophy is "Constant Improvement". We are always looking for ways to improve our curriculum so that our students will be best prepared for the future. The Tennessee Diploma Project requires that all students leave high school prepared to enter a four year university, a technical school and/or the workforce. In addition to changing the required coursework, the standards were revised in existing coursework to make it more rigorous for students. These changes at the state level required that we make revisions at the local level. MCHS currently offers students twenty five options for completing their focus area with 21 career-technical options, a fine art option, a humanities option, a STEM option and a business area option. This enables students to choose the path that best meets their future career plans. The changes in curriculum have made it necessary to expand extra help opportunities to help students achieve these standards. Increase in academic achievement - Student achievement has improved over the past three years on the national and state assessments. The five year trends on the ACT have shown that our students have improved in three subareas and remained the same in the remaining subarea resulting in an increase in the composite score from 18.5 to 19.0 over the past three years. In the future, we are expecting this number to continue to increase as more students are completing more rigorous coursework in math and science. Our students have made the greatest gains in mathematics and science. Student achievement has also increased on the End of Course test with more students scoring proficient or advanced on this assessment. According to the data, the most gains have been in the area of mathematics. In 2010, 55% of students scored proficient or advanced on the Algebra I End of Course assessment. Scores from 2012 indicate that 69.1% of students are now scoring proficient or advanced. In addition, students scoring proficient or advanced on the English II End of Course has increased from 62% to 63.9%. Even though we have made significant gains in academic achievement, we must continue to improve in order to continue to meet the state's annual goals for our school. Increase in Graduation Rate - McNairy Central has continued to meet and exceed the state's target graduation rate of 90%. As the standards have changed and graduation requirements have increased, we have implemented many strategies in order to help students be successful. We have implemented a credit recovery program using A+ software that enable students to recover credits from failed coursework. This program is offered before, during, and after school and also in the summer months. Many students have experienced success with this program as it provides instruction, practice and assessment for students at their own pace. In addition, this program provides extra practice for students who are not ready to advance to the next level. McNairy County has also implemented an alternative graduation program for non-traditional and at-risk students. McNairy Individualized Graduation (MIG) Program targets students who are not on track to graduate with their cohort or have extenuating circumstances that impact their ability to attend a regular school program. This program has had a tremendous impact on our graduation rate graduating thirteen students last year who would have otherwise dropped out of high school. When all efforts have been made to keep students in a traditional school setting, students can be referred to this program where a committee determines if the student meets the criteria for admission. Once enrolled in this program, students complete their graduation requirements, receive career counseling and attend classes on a flexible schedule. Page 6
Areas for Improvement Even though we have made tremendous improvements over the past three years, we have identified three areas for improvement that we believe will have a tremendous impact on student achievement. In order to meet our school improvement goals, we must explore ways to improve in these areas. Extra Help for All Students - Because students are now required to complete challenging coursework, it is important that we find ways to support students and provide them with extra help to meet the more rigorous standards. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, the McNairy County School System was awarded a grant for an after school program. This has enabled us to begin an extensive after school program offering both remediation and enrichment to all students. Through the grant, we have also been able to purchase Study Island software that will provide diagnostic tools and instruction to students. Increase the Use of Data - The state of Tennessee has provided schools with a tremendous amount of student data. However, the challenge is to get the data in a usable format so that teachers can understand and use the data. Teachers and administrators are receiving staff development in interpreting and using the data to make instructional decisions. We are also striving to find a way to get the data into more usable formats so that it is more accessible to teachers, administrators and counselors. Increase in parental involvement- Although parents are involved in many extra-curricular areas of our school, we struggle with getting parents engaged in academic areas. We believe this is critical in order to increase student achievement. Through our new after school program, we will have additional opportunities to get parents involved. We have made tremendous gains in communicating with parents through email, texts, website, newspapers and online grading. Since parents are now more informed, our next step is to get them more involved in educating their student and providing input to help in our school improvement efforts. Page 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.. Page 8