2010 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / []Charter / []Title I / []Magnet / [X]Choice
Name of Principal: Mr. Luke Butler
Official School Name: Colorado Springs Christian Middle School
School Mailing Address:
4845 Mallow Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80907-4422
County: El Paso State School Code Number*: N/A
Telephone: (719) 535-8968 Fax: (719) 268-2122
Web site/URL: www.cscslions.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*: Dr. Roland DeRenzo
District Name: Colorado Springs Christian Schools Tel: (719) 599-3553
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. Steve Everson
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 2003.
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)
Does not apply to private schoolsSCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:
[ X ] Urban or large central city
[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
[ ] Suburban
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. 3 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 / 35 / 35 / 70
K / 0 / 7 / 36 / 26 / 62
1 / 0 / 8 / 36 / 40 / 76
2 / 0 / 9 / 0
3 / 0 / 10 / 0
4 / 0 / 11 / 0
5 / 0 / 12 / 0
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 208
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 1 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
6 / % Asian
3 / % Black or African American
5 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
83 / % White
2 / % 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: 6%
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. / 6
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 9
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 15
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 236
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.064
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 6.356
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 2%
Total number limited English proficient 4
Number of languages represented: 1
Specify languages:
Korean
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 11%
Total number students who qualify: 23
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: 26
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 / 0 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 20 / Specific Learning Disability
0 / Emotional Disturbance / 0 / Speech or Language Impairment
0 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
0 / Mental Retardation / 0 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
0 / Multiple Disabilities / 0 / 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 / 12 / 9
Special resource teachers/specialists / 1 / 0
Paraprofessionals / 1 / 0
Support staff / 2 / 4
Total number / 18 / 13
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 14 :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 / 98% / 95% / 98% / 94% / 95%
Daily teacher attendance / 98% / 97% / 97% / 96% / 97%
Teacher turnover rate / 0% / 4% / 23% / 8% / 19%
Student dropout rate / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
Please provide all explanations below.
Due to the small size of our staff, the teacher turnover rate percentage seems large in certain years, but the majority of our core subject teachers remain constant.
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 / 0Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 0 / %
Enrolled in a community college / 0 / %
Enrolled in vocational training / 0 / %
Found employment / 0 / %
Military service / 0 / %
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / 0 / %
Unknown / 0 / %
Total / %
PART III - SUMMARY
In 1971, Colorado Springs Christian Middle School (CSCMS) was established. The school’s mission is to provide an excellent education from a Christ-centered, biblical perspective for life-long service. The middle school is part of Colorado Springs Christian Schools, now the largest Christian system in Colorado, serving984 students from kindergarten through gradetwelve on four campuses. An independent, non-denominational school, CSCMS is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI). Building on its thirty-nine-year legacy, CSCS offers students a well-rounded education – from a comprehensive academic program to a full complement of co-curricular opportunities. Most significantly, Christian character-building is emphasized through a biblically integrated curriculumalongwith daily Bible courses and weekly chapel services.
One of the strengths as a private school is CSCMS’s capability to place students in mathematics classes and language arts classes that match their abilities. For mathematics four different levels are offeredfrom sixth grade math to algebra, but since we are physically connected with Colorado Springs Christian High School (CSCHS), students can actually take high school mathematics courses if they qualify. In addition, students have options ofregular or honors English classes with the newly added English lab for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. For the last several years, CSCMS students have scored on the SAT-10 test in the top ten percent nationally in both mathematics and language arts. These results are achieved not only through the strength of the overall program but also through the strong collaboration between students, teachers and parents. The staff is committed to early communication with parents and intervention with struggling students when needed. Furthermore, CSCMS professional staff employs teaching methods that motivate students and are appropriate for different learning styles. Subsequently, CSCMS has established a program to fund continuing education for the staff to ensure that best practices are the norm in all classrooms. The school has an effective student services department which addresses the needs of students exhibitinga variety of learning challenges. Additionally, the international student body has grown considerably, so now an ELL program supports students in core classes and instructs students in English.
At CSCMS, because of the current emphasis on technology, students frequently utilize several media center areas, including classrooms and a mobile laptopcart,for a total ofover 100 computers. Because CSCMSis committed not only to education but also to the integration of technology, the school recently developed online instruction school days usingopen sourceMoodle software. Even when Colorado weather dictates that students stay at home, teachers instruct online using a variety of methods from interactive student polls tothreaded discussionsand activities using higher level thinking skills. CSCMS is dedicated to student success in regards to the curriculum regardless of the weather outside.
Along with a strong academic program, young people are encouraged to explore the fine arts and athletics, and to develop strong character and values with the focus on meaningful, lifelong service. The fine arts include visual and computer graphic arts as well as drama productions and instrumental and vocal music. Three bands and two choirs make up the middle school music program. In athletics, students have a chance to participate in a wide variety of sports such as cross-country, volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, wrestling and track. CSCMS participates in two athletic leagues involving competition with area schools, both private and public. At CSCMS students are working toward becoming excellent students. The program here is designed with the student in mind and is aimed at equipping students toward becoming valued and contributing members of the community.
PART IV - INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS1. Assessment Results: