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 Mr. Sean Tanner ______
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Midland Elementary Middle School______
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address___173-7th Street ______
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address.)
__Midland______PA______15059-1469_
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
County ____Beaver______State School Code Number* AUN 127045303
Telephone ( 724 ) 643-8650 Fax ( 724 ) 643-4887______
Web site/URL www.midlandpa.org 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. Nick Trombetta, Ed.D.
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Midland Borough School District Tel. ( 724 ) 643-8650
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 Mr. Michael Conti
President/Chairperson
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
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)
7
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 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: ___1__ Elementary Middle School (K4-8th grade)
_____ Middle schools
_____ Junior high schools
_____ High schools
_____ Other
_____ TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: __8,448.00 (tuition rate for 2005-2006)
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: _10,850.18 (2004-2005)
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
[ x ] 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 / 19 / 9 / 28 / 7 / 12 / 20 / 32
K / 23 / 17 / 40 / 8 / 19 / 16 / 35
1 / 18 / 22 / 40 / 9
2 / 19 / 19 / 38 / 10
3 / 21 / 14 / 35 / 11
4 / 8 / 14 / 22 / 12
5 / 23 / 11 / 34 / Other
6 / 16 / 19 / 35
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 339
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 48 % White
the school: 44 % Black or African American
6 % Hispanic or Latino
_2 % Asian/Pacific Islander
0 % 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: ___18__% (2005-2006)
[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 / 20(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year / 38
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 58
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 320
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3) divided by total students in row (4) / .18
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 18
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: less than 1%
__2___Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: __1___
Specify languages: Cebuano
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: ___65___%
Total number students who qualify: ___215__
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: ____15____% (2006-2007)
____51___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 _6__Other Health Impaired
____Deaf-Blindness _19_Specific Learning Disability
__2_Emotional Disturbance 20__Speech or Language Impairment
____Hearing Impairment ____Traumatic Brain Injury
__4_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) ___5______
Classroom teachers __23______
Special resource teachers/specialists __1______4
Paraprofessionals ___0______
Support staff __13______
(administrative, bus/café aides, substitutes)
Total number __ 42___ __4____
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 _ 17:1__
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 / 94% / 95% / 96% / 94% / 94%
Daily teacher attendance / 95% / 95% / 93% / 95% / 96%
Teacher turnover rate / 0% / 1% / 1% / 0% / 0%
Student dropout rate (middle/high) / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Student drop-off rate (high school) / n/a % / n/a % / n/a % / n/a % / n/a %
7
PART III SUMMARY
“The mission of Midland Borough School District is to provide an academic environment in which our children may reflect upon their heritage and prepare themselves for both the challenges of the 21st Century and their future success.”
The single-most viable commodity that the Midland School District can supply society is responsible and knowledgeable young people through the provision of quality educational services. That is and should be the most essential priority for any school now and in the future. Midland School District’s mission is to provide the best teachers and staff available in order to promote growth, maturity, knowledge and social skills for its children. The school’s objective mission is extremely valuable in that it will give young people the best opportunity possible to transform into successful young adults. The Midland School District consistently encourages its entire staff to be diligent in their efforts to have a caring nature without compromising the high standards we maintain for each and every student. Our students benefit from the school’s mission and dedication to service; the community benefits from the presence of responsible and productive students; and the country benefits from the cultivation of well-education citizens willing and able to make a contribution to society.
The Midland Elementary Middle School is the only school in The Midland Borough School District. The Midland Borough School District covers approximately 5.2 miles and is located approximately 45 miles Northwest of Pittsburgh, PA. Prior to 1984, the main source of employment and family income was steel production, heavy metals manufacturing and jobs related to these industries. Thereafter, the gradual decline of these industries (in particular the longstanding economic mainstay, Crucible Steel/Colt Industries) resulted in plunging family incomes and a mass exodus of residents from the community. The loss of individual and family income, coupled with a drastic reduction in tax revenue, had a major impact on the district.
With the tax base crumbling and the district’s millage increasing to 40 mills (the highest in the county and among the highest in the state), The Midland Borough School District made the difficult decision in 1985 to close its secondary school that included grades 9-12. An agreement was made with a neighboring district to educate Midland’s high school students. The agreement was terminated (by the other district) at the end of the ten-year contract, leaving the district and community without a schooling option for grades 9-12. In 1997, Midland students were bussed out-of-state to receive an education, after a tuition agreement was made with the East Liverpool, Ohio School District. Currently, a few students still attend school in Ohio. Many others have taken advantage of the option to attend charter schools in Pennsylvania.
The Midland Borough School District recognizes that when a community: 1) experiences a high unemployment rate, 2) has low socio-economic stability and, 3) is comprised of a significant number of single parent households, it can often be viewed by its deficiencies and needs rather than for its strengths and potential. The Midland community has endeavored to create strategies and opportunities to reduce unemployment to encourage social, cultural, educational, and economic renewal. The 2000 Census Data reported the median household income was $23,117 from a population of 3,137. Census data obtained in 2002 ranked Midland children 5th in percent of students ages 5-17 within a poverty rate of 32 %. Even with these economic barriers present, since the implementation of NCLB Midland continues to make AYP at all grade levels PSSA tested.
The Midland Elementary-Middle School has a student body with significant and substantial socio-economic needs. Based on September 30, 2006 enrollment data there are 331 students in PreK-8, 65% of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch. These figures place the poverty level at more than 2 times the state’s average of about 32%. The student-to-teacher ratio is approximately 17:1.
7
PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Assessment Results
The annual Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student's attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards. Proficiency is defined as having reached proficient or advanced on the PSSA in Reading or Mathematics. Effective with the 2005-2006 school year, every Pennsylvania student ingrade 3 through 8 and grade 11is assessed in reading andmath. The PSSA is used as a school’s measurement in making Adequate Yearly Progress, as authorized by No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
NCLB requires states to determine annually whether school districts and schools make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). To meet AYP, schools must meet achievement targets in reading and mathematics, as well as graduation, attendance and test participation targets. Current targets include 45% proficiency or advanced in math and 54% proficiency or advanced in reading.In addition, schools had to show 90% attendance (for schools without a graduating class) or an 80% graduation rate and a 95% rate of students that took the PSSA. Midland Elementary Middle School has attained AYP for four consecutive years since authorized in 2003. NCLB has required all states including PA to set the standard for measurement for achievement levels in reaching AYP. In addition we have received the Keystone State Award for achievement for the past three years as a result of AYP attainment for two consecutive years beginning 2002-2003