2006-2007 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
U.S. Department of Education
Cover Sheet Type of School: (Check all that apply) [X] Elementary [X] Middle [ ] High [ ] K-12 [ ] Charter
Name of Principal Mrs. Maureen Hannon
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Blessed Sacrament School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address_ 2407 Dixie Hwy______
Ft. Mitchell KY______41017-2936______
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
County Kenton State School Code Number*__N/A______
Telephone ( 859 ) 331-3062 Fax ( 859 ) 331-7323
Web site/URL school.bssky.org/school E-mail
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* Dr. Lawrence M. Bowman
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Diocese of Covington Tel. (859) 392-1533
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 Mrs. Mary Ann Stewart
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______
(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)
*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
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 for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
1. The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not 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 2006-2007 school year.
3. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language as a part of its core curriculum.
4. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2001 and has not received the No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years.
5. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a districtwide compliance review.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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
All data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 12 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: _____ Elementary schools
_____ Middle schools
_____ Junior high schools
_____ High schools
_____ Other
_____ TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: ______
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: ______
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
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
[X ] Suburban
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. 4 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 as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school only:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade TotalPreK / 7 / 34 / 31 / 65
K / 22 / 22 / 44 / 8 / 33 / 35 / 68
1 / 36 / 38 / 74 / 9
2 / 36 / 35 / 71 / 10
3 / 30 / 25 / 55 / 11
4 / 27 / 38 / 65 / 12
5 / 27 / 38 / 65 / Other
6 / 32 / 43 / 75
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 582
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 99 % White
the school: .34 % Black or African American
% Hispanic or Latino
.86 % Asian/Pacific Islander
% American Indian/Alaskan Native
100% Total
Use only the five standard categories in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of the school.
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: __.34____%
[This rate should be calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.]
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until the end of the year / 0(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year / 2
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 2
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 582
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3) divided by total students in row (4) / .0034
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / .34
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 0 %
0 Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: ___1___
Specify languages: English
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 2 %
Total number students who qualify: __11__
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from lowincome 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____%
___12___Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
____Autism ____Orthopedic Impairment
____Deafness ____Other Health Impaired
____Deaf-Blindness ____Specific Learning Disability
____Emotional Disturbance _12_Speech or Language Impairment
____Hearing Impairment ____Traumatic Brain Injury
____Mental Retardation ____Visual Impairment Including Blindness
____Multiple Disabilities
11. Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-time Part-Time
Administrator(s) __ 2______
Classroom teachers __23______4___
Special resource teachers/specialists ___6______7___
Paraprofessionals ______6___
Support staff ___2______1___
Total number __33______18__
12. Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of
students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1 __23:1__
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. Also explain a high teacher turnover rate.
2005-2006 / 2004-2005 / 2003-2004 / 2002-2003 / 2001-2002Daily student attendance / 99.5% / 99.5% / 98.5% / 99.5% / 97%
Daily teacher attendance / 98.5% / 99.5% / 99.5% / 99.5% / 99.5%
Teacher turnover rate / 11% / 24% / 0% / 11% / 13.5%
Student dropout rate (middle/high) / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
Student drop-off rate (high school) / % / % / % / % / %
PART III – SUMMARY
Blessed Sacrament School serves 582 children in kindergarten through eighth grades following the strong academic and faith filled tradition of Catholic education. The school is located in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Blessed Sacrament Parish and the Benedictine Sisters founded the school in 1921. The community takes great pride in its parish and school. In 1994, BSS received the National Blue Ribbon School Award. Pride in this award continues to drive excellence in education. Generation after generation of Blessed Sacrament families attend the school.
The mission statement of the school is visible each day as “we encourage spiritual growth, academic achievement, personal goal setting, and individual responsibility. Daily religion classes, prayer, weekly celebration of Mass, on-going service projects and individual requirements of service hours guide students in the tradition of Catholic faith. All students are encouraged to achieve high academic standards. Students are well prepared for high school and are awarded a high percentage of academic scholarships. Comprising less than 20% of the 2006 freshman classes, BSS eighth grade boys received 60% of the scholarships given by Covington Catholic High School while the eighth grade girls received 50% of the scholarships to Notre Dame Academy.
Our school-wide theme for 2006-2007 is I Say Yes My Lord. Students examine how they can say yes through their words and actions. The theme is expressed in our weekly Masses, prayers, on bulletin boards and in lessons. From our youngest children who are encouraged to look for ways to say yes as they include others, to our eighth graders who solicit donations for non-profit agencies during the Alterative Christmas, the entire community is embracing the theme. Recipients of service activities are local and global, including Ronald McDonald House, Madonna House, our parish Families in Need Program, and raising funds for victims of natural disasters. Students are working with teachers and parents, coming together in saying Yes, My Lord.
Technology is used in all areas of the curriculum. Each classroom is connected to the Internet. Document projectors and interactive whiteboards are used by teachers and students. The computer lab is equipped with 28 computers. It is used by each class weekly and may be reserved for additional time by classroom teachers. A mini-lab of 8 computers can also be reserved by teachers. Students are able to do virtual labs and our sixth graders communicate with students in London, England on projects and culture.
Blessed Sacrament students are offered a variety of enrichment opportunities. Each grade participates in a fine arts experience which is integrated with the core curriculum. Students in the upper grades may choose choir as their music class. Students in kindergarten, first, and second perform plays yearly. The eighth grade musical is the highlight of the spring. After school select choir, cantors and band classes are available. The Parent Auxiliary provides additional fine arts presentations and field trips for each grade. A two year grant from the Cincinnati Art Museum provides kindergarteners through third graders the opportunity to create art inspired by famous masters. A family tour of the art museum took place in December. In the spring, a fine arts festival will showcase students in the visual and performing arts. Field trips to the aquarium, museums, plays and outdoor education camps further enrich all areas of the curriculum along with presentations through the planetarium, zoo and the local historical society.
Blessed Sacrament School is fortunate in having a dedicated faculty and staff who receive the support of the parish and community in providing a foundation of faith and a love of learning to our students.
Part IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Assessment Results
BSS uses the second edition of the Terra Nova standardized tests in assessing the progress of students in grades 3, 5, 6, and 7. Achievement in reading, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies is evaluated. Students also take the In View, which assesses cognitive ability and is reported as the CSI (Cognitive Skills Indicator). The CSI can be compared to the Terra Nova results. The comparison indicates the level to which students are learning in relationship to their innate abilities. Significant differences in anticipated and obtained scores of individuals and/or classes may indicate above average success or below average achievement. The constant monitoring of the anticipated and obtained scores allows the administration and faculty to keep pace with the changing needs of students.
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) scores exemplify the success of BSS students in achieving at or above the 90th percentile of students across the country. In 2006, seventh graders qualified at the 90th percentile of National School Norms with a 66.2 in mathematics surpassing the required score of 64.1. In reading where a 65.8 was required, grade 7 achieved a 68.4, again qualifying in the top 90th percentile. Also, the reported scores indicate the seventh grade was above the qualifying percentile in both reading and math in 2004 and 2005.
For the past three years, results show grades 3 and 5 scoring in the 90th percentile in math and reading. Grade 6 scored in the 90th percentile in math over the same period and at or within two percentile points of the cut-off in reading.
When compared to the top 10% of national scores, BSS students scored between 90.9 and 98.2 in both reading and math. The correlation can be drawn that the brightest students are being challenged and are succeeding.