2010 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / []Charter / [X]Title I / []Magnet / []Choice
Name of Principal: Mr. Mike Bell
Official School Name: Big Sandy School
School Mailing Address:
13305 Hwy69A
Big Sandy, TN 38221-3587
County: Benton State School Code Number*: 0010
Telephone: (731) 593-3221 Fax: (731) 593-3245
Web site/URL: http://www.bcos.orgE-mail:
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
Date
(Principal‘s Signature)
Name of Superintendent*: Mr. Randall Robertson
District Name: Benton County Schools Tel: (731) 584-6111
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(Superintendent‘s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mr. Joey Cooper
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), 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.
The original signed cover sheet only should be converted to a PDF file and emailed to Aba Kumi, Blue Ribbon Schools Project Manager () or mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173
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 one or more of 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.
3. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2009-2010 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.
4. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.
5. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2004.
6. The nominated school has not received the Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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 DATAAll data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 1-2 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: (per district designation) / 2 / Elementary schools (includes K-8)2 / Middle/Junior high schools
2 / High schools
1 / K-12 schools
7 / TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: 8479
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
[ ] Suburban
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ X ] Rural
4. 10 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position 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 / 0 / 6 / 20 / 9 / 29
K / 13 / 12 / 25 / 7 / 9 / 11 / 20
1 / 5 / 9 / 14 / 8 / 15 / 21 / 36
2 / 16 / 11 / 27 / 9 / 16 / 15 / 31
3 / 10 / 9 / 19 / 10 / 16 / 20 / 36
4 / 15 / 10 / 25 / 11 / 11 / 14 / 25
5 / 17 / 18 / 35 / 12 / 15 / 17 / 32
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 354
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / % American Indian or Alaska Native
% Asian
% Black or African American
1 / % Hispanic or Latino
% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
99 / % White
% Two or more races
100 / % Total
Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 12%
This rate is 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 theend of the year. / 16
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 32
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 48
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 388
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.124
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 12.371
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 0%
Total number limited English proficient 0
Number of languages represented: 0
Specify languages:
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 69%
Total number students who qualify: 244
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-price school meals 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: 10%
Total Number of Students Served: 37
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
1 / Autism / Orthopedic ImpairmentDeafness / 2 / Other Health Impaired
Deaf-Blindness / 26 / Specific Learning Disability
Emotional Disturbance / 1 / Speech or Language Impairment
Hearing Impairment / Traumatic Brain Injury
5 / Mental Retardation / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
1 / Multiple Disabilities / 1 / Developmentally Delayed
11. Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of StaffFull-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 2 / 0
Classroom teachers / 28 / 3
Special resource teachers/specialists / 2 / 1
Paraprofessionals / 9 / 0
Support staff / 13 / 1
Total number / 54 / 5
12. Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1 13 :1
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any attendance rates under 95%, teacher turnover rates over 12%, or student dropout rates over 5%.
2008-2009 / 2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006 / 2004-2005Daily student attendance / 95% / 95% / 95% / 95% / 95%
Daily teacher attendance / 96% / 97% / 96% / 96% / 96%
Teacher turnover rate / 3% / 6% / 3% / 3% / 6%
Student dropout rate / 0% / 0% / 2% / 0% / 2%
Please provide all explanations below.
Since Big Sandy School is a K-12, we have listed the daily student attendance for grades K-8 in the chart above. The daily student attendance for grades 9-12 were as follows: 2008-2009 - 94%, 2007-2008 - 94%, 2006-2007 - 94%, 2005-2006 - 90%, 2004-2005 - 95%.
14. For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools).
Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2009 are doing as of the Fall 2009.
Graduating class size / 31Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 48 / %
Enrolled in a community college / 6 / %
Enrolled in vocational training / 16 / %
Found employment / 10 / %
Military service / 13 / %
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / 6 / %
Unknown / %
Total / 100 / %
PART III - SUMMARY
Big Sandy School has continuously operated for more than 80 years. The school is somewhat unique in that it is one of the state’s few remaining K – 12 institutions. It serves approximately 350 students, about one-third of whom are in the high school. The school’s unusual size, institutional structure, and demographics offer valuable opportunities. Generally, teachers and students know one another well by the time the students begin high school, and this fosters a strong sense of continuity, cooperation, and mutual respect. These circumstances also offer opportunities for positive student interaction across grade levels. For instance, students in the high school Spanish classes regularly visit students in the lower grades to serve as role models, and to help introduce these young children to the Spanish language.
Big Sandy staff members have traditionally been deeply conscious of the school’s unique character. This recognition is reflected in the school’s official beliefs, which stress the importance of cooperation and community, and its vision statement, which begins, “As a small K – 12 school, Big Sandy embraces the opportunity to touch the lives of our children.”
Big Sandy’s population is notably uniform, and the school reflects this. The student body is more than 95% Caucasian, all of whom speak English as their first language. Despite its ethnic homogeneity, the community’s — and thus the school’s — economic profile is more complicated, and economic struggle and dislocation are unfortunate facets of life for many. Most of the businesses are small proprietorships, and the tax base is limited. It is only the area’s popularity among hunters and other sport enthusiasts that somewhat mediates this problem. According to the 2000 census, more than 20% of the town’s population, and more than 40% of its children live below the poverty level. These statistics reflect only the makeup of the town itself, but can be extrapolated to the broader northern Benton county area served by the school. Approximately 2/3 of Big Sandy students, across all grades, qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Despite a limited population, and limited resources, Big Sandy School, and the Big Sandy community, have always risen to face their challenges. Accordingly, the school has been recognized by U. S. News and World Report as one that has succeeded under trying socioeconomic circumstances. Computer and internet access are widely available to Big Sandy students, and a growing number of classrooms have electronic white boards. Many of Big Sandy’s teachers have advanced degrees, and a few have education beyond that. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a far higher percentage of Big Sandy graduates attend college today than did so in the 1980s.
Within the community, the school is the centerpiece of civic life. Parents are official stakeholders in the school’s activities, and it has taken numerous steps to incorporate their opinions and their assistance into its programs. Community interaction is enhanced by a strong athletic tradition. Basketball is an integral part of school life; home games see attendance in the hundreds. In recent years, Big Sandy has fielded successful track and cross-country teams. The school also has numerous academic clubs, including junior and senior branches of the National Beta Club, and “Youth Leadership,” a student organization devoted to “the drug-free lifestyle.”
Big Sandy School is a community of learning. It is founded upon the principle that all children deserve to receive an education in an atmosphere that fosters relationships, and accentuates the individual value and humanity of each student. Education at Big Sandy School is about striving for success for all, because its staff believes that the children of struggling, rural communities deserveevery opportunity to succeed.
1. Assessment Results: