REVISED 3-9-06
2005-2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
U.S. Department of Education
Cover Sheet Type of School: (Check all that apply) __ Elementary __ Middle X High __ K-12 __Charter
Name of Principal Mr. Kevin Johnson
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Foothill High School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address 4375 Foothill Road ______
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
Pleasanton______CA______94588-9720______
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
County Alameda State School Code Number* 01 75101 0130096
Telephone (925) 461-6650 Fax (925) 461-6633
Website/URL http://www.pleasanton.k12.ca.us/foothill/ 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. John Casey
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Pleasanton Unified School District Tel. (925) 426-4301
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 Mr. Steven Pulido
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
I have reviewed the information in this package, 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
[Include this page in the school’s application as page 2.]
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 with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has not been in school improvement status or 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 2005-2006 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 2000 and has not received the 2003, 2004, or 2005 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Award.
5. The nominated school or district is not refusing the OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a districtwide compliance review.
6. The 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 the 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: __9__ Elementary schools
__3__ Middle schools
__0__ Junior high schools
__3__ High schools
_____ Other
__15__ TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: ___$ 7,130 (2003-04)___
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: ___$ 6,919 (2003-04)___
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. 11 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
K / 8
1 / 9 / 306 / 305 / 611
2 / 10 / 314 / 272 / 586
3 / 11 / 310 / 282 / 592
4 / 12 / 242 / 286 / 528
5 / Other
6
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 2,317
[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.]
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 67 % White
the students in the school: 2 % Black or African American
5 % Hispanic or Latino
24 % Asian/Pacific Islander
<1 % 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: ____1____%
[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. / 4(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 21
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 25
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 2,317
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3) divided by total students in row (4). / >1
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 1
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 1 %
34 Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: __13__
Specify languages: Cambodian, Cantonese, Farsi, German, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian, Persian, Pilipino, Punjabi, Serbian, and Spanish
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: _1_%
Total number students who qualify: _32_
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 federallysupported 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: ___7___%
_165___ 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.
_12_Autism __3_Orthopedic Impairment
__0_Deafness _20_Other Health Impaired
__0_Deaf-Blindness _92_Specific Learning Disability
__9_Emotional Disturbance _11_Speech or Language Impairment
__2_Hearing Impairment __0_Traumatic Brain Injury
_11_Mental Retardation __1_Visual Impairment Including Blindness
__4_Multiple Disabilities
11. Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-time Part-time
Administrators ___4_ ___0___
Classroom teachers _110_ __15___
Special resource teachers/specialists __13_ ___0___
Paraprofessionals __20_ ___0___
Support staff __35_ ___6___
Total number _182_ __21___
12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio, that is, the number of
students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers: _22:1_
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.
2004-2005 / 2003-2004 / 2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001Daily student attendance (%) / 97 / 97 / 97 / 96 / 96
Daily teacher attendance (%) / 95 / 94 / 95 / 95 / 95
Teacher turnover rate (%) / 9 / 5 / 4 / N/A / N/A
Student dropout rate (%) / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Student drop-off rate (%) / 8 / 6 / 2 / 6 / 3
Disparity between drop-out and drop-off rates
Foothill High School is located in Pleasanton in the San Francisco East Bay area, a magnet for technology development and production. The disparity between dropout and drop-off rates, especially during 2003-04 and 2004-05, can probably be attributed in part to the downturn in some areas of the technology industry (for example, dot com) and other local economic changes.
14. Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2004-05 are doing as of September 2005-06.
Graduating class size / _492_Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / _61__%
Enrolled in a community college / _34__%
Enrolled in vocational training / __2__%
Found employment / _>1__%
Military service / _>1__%
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / __1__%
Unknown / __1__%
Total / 100 %
PART III - SUMMARY
Students Come First, Foothill High School’s guiding principle, inspires our educational environment. Nestled next to the foothills of Pleasanton, we provide each of our students with a nurturing and innovative learning environment, stimulating their intellectual, emotional, and physical growth.
Foothill provides a comfortable atmosphere in which all newcomers feel welcome. A visitor to the campus immediately notices the organized, focused, academic environment where all students are motivated to succeed. From the engaging lessons in all classrooms, to the bustling quad at lunchtime, teachers encourage students to showcase their talents in a variety of ways. What makes us unique is that we are one of fewer than 35 schools in the state to have maintained an increase in our Academic Performance Index (API) scores, California’s measure of school academic and performance growth, for five consecutive years. Advanced Placement test results are also improving with 75% of 1,110 tests earning a score of 3 or better, up from 61% of 200 tests seven years ago. Over 35 clubs are active on campus, and 81% of our students are involved in extracurricular activities.
Teachers consistently demonstrate academic commitment by employing teaching strategies that encourage every student to succeed. Foothill teachers are concerned, caring individuals who truly want optimal achievement for their students. Last year, 203 teachers, administrators, and support staff attended no fewer than 2,575 hours of different trainings, institutes, and conferences, and our staff has already accrued 1,688 hours in this current school year (January 2006). The staff works together creating a pleasant atmosphere and a smooth working environment for all. Counselors, career center specialists, and a dynamic library staff consistently support academic programs through individualized work with students. Our commitment to students is evidenced by the fact that 95% of students believe the educational program offered at Foothill prepares them for the pursuit of their goals.
We are proud of our level of parental involvement. Parents volunteer in a variety of capacities and work alongside teachers and staff to enhance the learning environment. Obviously, both the families and the staff remain committed to the youth who attend Foothill High School—a working example of a community coming together to raise its children.
Foothill High School opened its doors in 1973. Under current leadership, our school has grown from 1,000 students in 1995-1996 to over 2,300 students today. With such growth, Foothill has implemented many innovative programs: Latin, Japanese, Reading Improvement, Technical English, Video Production, and numerous advanced placement (AP) courses. In addition, Foothill has created several academies, such as Health and Bioscience, which provide small, more personal learning communities in the large school setting.
The community at large perceives the school to be academically rigorous yet concerned for the character and well-being of all students. Integrity, honesty, responsibility, respect, compassion, and self-discipline describe our community of character and are emphasized throughout the school year. Overwhelmingly, students agree that character education principles are supported at school.
Though our school continues to expand, it still remains a student-centered school with strong co-curricular and athletic programs. An active peer-tutoring program and homework club offer educational assistance for all students while students in Marching Band, choir, and programs like We the People compete at the highest levels. Students and their leaders actively shape a positive and involved school climate where all students have the opportunity to engage in activities that interest them. At the same time, a cooperative, professional relationship exists between the school and District leadership.
Staff and community realize that Foothill’s mission is to educate the whole person. Test scores improve each year, students earn accolades for their extracurricular accomplishments, and staff reflect on ways to improve the educational environment for all students. We are proud to say that at Foothill High School, students truly do come first.
PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Description and explanation of assessment results:
Assessment results for English/language arts (ELA) on the California Standards Test (CST) illustrate continuous growth over the last three years in all grade levels. The number of students proficient or advanced in grade 9 increased from 77% in 2003 to 79% in 2005, from 69% to 73% in grade 10, and from 63% to 71% in grade 11. In 2005, 50% of the school’s economically disadvantaged students in grade 9 scored proficient or better against 26% across California. 17% of grade 10 English Learners scored proficient or better compared to 4% across the state. Black/African American students improved from 27% to 56% proficient or advanced in grade 10. Students with disabilities at grade 10 scored 15% proficient or above in 2005 compared with only 5% across the state. Asian students in grade 11 improved passage rate of those proficient or better on the ELA CST from 68% in 2003 to 83% in 2005.