2010 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / []Charter / [X]Title I / []Magnet / []Choice
Name of Principal: Ms. Lisa Williams
Official School Name: Anna F. Booth Elementary School
School Mailing Address:
17001 Hurricane Boulevard
Irvington, AL 36544-6047
County: Mobile State School Code Number*: 0035
Telephone: (251) 824-1740 Fax: (251) 824-1762
Web site/URL: http://booth.mce.schoolinsites.com/E-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*: Dr. Roy Nichols
District Name: Mobile County Schools Tel: (251) 221-4394
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. William Meredith
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) / 55 / Elementary schools (includes K-8)19 / Middle/Junior high schools
13 / High schools
K-12 schools
87 / TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: 8844
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. 7 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 / 8 / 11 / 19 / 6 / 0
K / 32 / 40 / 72 / 7 / 0
1 / 50 / 54 / 104 / 8 / 0
2 / 47 / 28 / 75 / 9 / 0
3 / 56 / 46 / 102 / 10 / 0
4 / 45 / 50 / 95 / 11 / 0
5 / 45 / 35 / 80 / 12 / 0
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 547
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 0 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
19 / % Asian
10 / % Black or African American
2 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
69 / % White
0 / % 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: 19%
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. / 55
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 45
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 100
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 531
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.188
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 18.832
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 16%
Total number limited English proficient 90
Number of languages represented: 4
Specify languages:
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Spanish, Laotian
Note: The total number of limited English proficient stundents include LEP I, LEP2, FLEP 1, and FLEP 2.
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 82%
Total number students who qualify: 449
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: 12%
Total Number of Students Served: 68
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
0 / Autism / 0 / Orthopedic Impairment0 / Deafness / 8 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 22 / Specific Learning Disability
0 / Emotional Disturbance / 30 / Speech or Language Impairment
1 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
2 / Mental Retardation / 1 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
1 / Multiple Disabilities / 3 / 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) / 1
Classroom teachers / 28
Special resource teachers/specialists / 11 / 1
Paraprofessionals / 10
Support staff / 13
Total number / 63 / 1
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 20 :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 / 96% / 96% / 95% / 96% / 96%
Daily teacher attendance / 98% / 97% / 96% / 96% / 96%
Teacher turnover rate / 7% / 9% / 20% / 23% / 25%
Student dropout rate / % / % / % / % / %
Please provide all explanations below.
In 2004-2005, the teacher turnover rate was 25%.One teacher retired, one became a resource teacher, and seven teachers transferred within the district to schools that were using a different reading program.In 2005-2006, the turnover rate was 23%.One teacher moved into a secondary level position, one left to pursue an advanced degree, four left the district, one retired, and one chose to stay home with her new baby.In 2006-2007, the turnover rate was 20%.One teacher left for family reasons, one left for health reasons, two relocated to other states, one became a media specialist at another school within the local district, one left the district, and one accepted a position outside of the public school system.
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 sizeEnrolled in a 4-year college or university / %
Enrolled in a community college / %
Enrolled in vocational training / %
Found employment / %
Military service / %
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / %
Unknown / %
Total / %
PART III - SUMMARY
Booth Elementary serves the children of Bayou la Batre, a small fishing community in southern Alabama. Twenty percent of students represent Vietnamese, Cambodian or Laotian populations; 16% are limited English proficient; and 82 % qualify for free/reduced lunch. In spring 2002, our students were struggling. Booth was a low-performing school. In 2002, SAT 9 scores showed third grade performance at the 31st percentile in Reading with only 32% of the students scoring stanine 5 or above. Due to low performance, Booth was selected to implement the Reading First grant. Plans were made to begin training in Spring 2003 with first-year grant implementation set for the 2003-2004 school year. We were assured that the grant would produce results. A vision was set into motion---A vision of a high-performing, high-poverty school with all children reading at or above grade level---A vision of a knowledgeable faculty possessing the expertise to meet the needs of all students.
Reading First implementation produced phenomenal, sustainable achievement at Booth. Data now indicates continual fulfillment of our mission which is “to enable each student to reach his or her educational potential by providing the appropriate academic foundation to ensure that each child will, in turn, graduate from high school fully prepared to enter the global work force or pursue higher education.”
In communicating our “story,” we must note that Hurricane Katrina devastated Bayou la Batre on August 29, 2005 leaving over 70% of our students homeless. Despite the devastation, teachers did not once express concern that the impact would affect achievement. Teachers persevered in the face of adversity inspired by the knowledge that our children are as capable as any in the nation. When the hurricane hit we were entering third-year Reading First implementation and teachers were confident the hurricane’s aftermath would not destroy the foundation built through this grant. The grant had proven to be a catalyst for change producing measurable growth almost immediately. Through professional development, teachers were empowered, confident in their abilities to utilize research-based strategies while allowing data to drive instruction. Further, they had a renewed belief in the students’ capabilities resulting in an environment where children are not defined by “first” language, migrant status, or socioeconomic level. Confidence in the children, combined with teacher self efficacy, allowed teachers to embrace their ethical responsibility to ensure achievement for all children while accepting no excuses, not even a hurricane. Staff members supported relief efforts to meet students’ basic needs, and students continued to succeed.
Other strengths contributing to success include: implementation of data meeting processes designed to provide a collaborative forum for analyzing student data, making data-drive instructional decisions, and planning professional development; job-embedded, data-driven professional development; a structured intervention plan supported by a staggered schedule; allowing for optimal utilization of time/ human resources; alignment of Standards/Instruction/Assessments; structured School Improvement Processes ensuring constancy of focus; and an empowering Culture with pervasive belief in students’ capabilities; student/ staff self efficacy; and dedicated staff who exhibit professionalism, cohesiveness, and collaborative effort.