U.S. Department of EducationNovember 2002September 2003
2003-2004 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Cover Sheet
Name of Principal Mrs. Margaret B. Fulton
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Killearn Lakes Elementary
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address 8037 Deerlake Drive, East
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
TallahasseeFlorida32312-5076
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
Tel. ( 850 )893-1265Fax ( 850 )922-2566
Website/URL
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* Mr. William J. “Bill” Montford
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District NameLeon CountyTel. (850) 487 - 7147
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 February 6, 2004
(Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board
President/Chairperson Mrs. Georgia M. “Joy” Bowen
(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 February 6, 2004
(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 of Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
- The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12. (Schools with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
- 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 2003-2004 school year.
- If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language as a part of its core curriculum.
- The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 1998.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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: 25 Elementary schools
9 Middle schools
N/A Junior high schools
6 High schools
15 Other (Briefly explain) Alternative Learning Centers,
Charter schools, Exceptional Education Centers, Adult
and Vocational schools.
55 TOTAL
2.District Per Pupil Expenditure: $ 5, 488.00
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: $ 5, 569.00
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
4.8 years Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
N/A If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?
5.Number of students enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade TotalK / 71 / 54 / 125 / 7
1 / 73 / 60 / 133 / 8
2 / 71 / 78 / 149 / 9
3 / 70 / 59 / 129 / 10
4 / 79 / 75 / 154 / 11
5 / 100 / 74 / 174 / 12
6 / Other
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 864
6.Racial/ethnic composition of87.50 % White
the students in the school: 6.48 % Black or African American
2.27 % Multi
2.27 % Hispanic or Latino
1.25 % Asian/Pacific Islander
.23 % American Indian/Alaskan Native
100% Total
7.Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 9 %
(This rate includes the total number of students who transferred to or from different schools between October 1 and the end of the school year, divided by the total number of students in the school as of October 1, multiplied by 100.)
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 36(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 42
(3) / Subtotal of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 78
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 888
(5) / Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4) / .09
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 9.0
8.Limited English Proficient students in the school: < 1_%
4 Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: 3
Specify languages:
Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese
9.Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 5 %
40 Total Number Students Who Qualify
If this method does not produce a reasonably 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: 26 %
225 Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
____Autism 2 Orthopedic Impairment ____Deafness 1 Other Health Impaired
____Deaf-Blindness 47 Specific Learning Disability
____Hearing Impairment 148 Speech
1 Mental Retardation 25 Language Impaired
____Multiple Disabilities ____Visual Impairment Including Blindness
1 Emotionally Handicapped
- Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-timePart-Time
Administrator(s) 2 0
Classroom teachers 37 0
Special resource teachers/specialists 11 5
Paraprofessionals 10 1
Support staff 10 0
Total number 70 6
12.Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio:23.4
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.)
2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001 / 1999-2000 / 1998-1999Daily student attendance / 96.2 % / 96.8 % / 94.0 % / 94.0 % / 98.0 %
Daily teacher attendance / 96.7 % / 96.4 % / 96.7 % / 96.0 % / 96.1 %
Teacher turnover rate / 4.01 % / 3.9 % / 14.3 % / 14.3 % / 13.9 %
Student dropout rate / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A
Student drop-off rate / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A
PART III SUMMARY
Provide a brief, coherent narrative snapshot of the school in one page (approximately 475 words). Include at least a summary of the school’s mission or vision in the statement.
Killearn Lakes Elementary School is located in Tallahassee, the capital city of Florida. The school opened in 1985 as a public elementary school serving students in kindergarten through fifth grades. Our school community is made up of high performing students, committed staff, supportive parents and business partners who strive to make Killearn Lakes a special place for children. Following our motto, Children First, the dedicated staff works diligently to establish a quality learning environment that challenges and enriches the lives of all students and sets high academic standards. The school’s Mission clearly identifies the guiding principles by which the school operates. Developed collaboratively with all stakeholders, the school’s mission is visible in the school, not just in written form, but is evident in the actions of all who touch the lives of students. It is our goal that every student acquire skills necessary to become independent, cooperative, caring life-long learners. Our mission statement is:
Killearn Lakes Elementary School provides students with an optimal learning environment to create lifelong learners. In addition, we believe:
- a safe and nurturing learning environment is essential to learning.
- all children can learn when provided individual instruction, based on individual needs.
- in developing cooperative, respectful citizens.
- in research-based education and remediation.
- that students will be most successful when their education is a combined effort between the school, home, and community.
- that high expectations promote successful academic performance.
Killearn Lakes Elementary’s 864 students come from a wide range of cultures, socioeconomic levels, and educational backgrounds. Much of the success of the students at Killearn Lakes Elementary can be attributed to setting high academic standards, a joint partnership between the school and home, and a focus on using the best practices in teaching. Precise goals and specific procedures are in place for every aspect of the school, from behavior to academics. Curriculum standards are set for all grade levels in reading, mathematics, science, social studies, health, physical education, music and art. A behavior management program called “Stop, Think and Make a Good Choice’” is used throughout the school. Designed to be pro-active and teach social skills, we have found this eliminates confusion, saves time, and prevents many behavior problems, thus freeing teachers to teach and students to learn. The use of this behavior management program has resulted in a decrease in discipline referrals. Individual achievement goals are set for each student and progress is closely monitored.
As a school, Killearn Lakes Elementary recognizes school is not just made up of academics; the needs of the whole child must be addressed. Music, technology, art and physical education classes are incorporated into the student schedules. Special events such as Field Days, Science Fair, Spelling Bee, Tropicana Speech Contest, Big Buddy/Little Buddy programs, musical presentations, guest speakers, Fairytale Knowdown, Medieval Fairs, are examples of academic extensions for students. Children are taught to “give of themselves” through Jump Rope for Heart, Holiday Giving, March of Dimes and local food drives. Celebrations occur often and rewards are numerous. A supportive PTA, active group of volunteers and generous business partners provide an array of support to make this a special place for children.
Killearn Lakes Elementary is a supportive, caring place; focused on fostering the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth of all students. It is a school filled with children excited about learning and nurturing caring adults. It is an outstanding school, recognized by the Florida Department of Education as a school of excellence and dedicated to helping students reach their full potential.
PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Describe in one page the meaning of the school’s assessment results in reading (language arts or
English) and mathematics in such a way that someone not intimately familiar with the tests can
easily understand them.
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) was developed to measure achievement of Florida’s students. It is comprised of two parts, the FCAT-NRT (Norm-Referenced Test) and FCAT-SSS (Sunshine State Standards). The FCAT–SSS is designed to measure students’ knowledge of writing, reading, mathematics, and science as outlined in the Florida Sunshine State Standards. The FCAT-NRT is a norm-referenced test used to compare student performance in reading, and mathematics with performance of students nationwide. All Florida public school students in grades 3-10 are required to take both the FCAT-NRT and the FCAT-SSS. Both tests are administered in early March of each year. Only a few students fall into the exemption category and those students are given an approved Alternative Assessment.
Preparation for the assessments is the teaching and learning of the Florida Sunshine State Standards. These tests are one measure of how students learned grade level material and how prepared they are to move on to the next grade. Reports of the results are given to parents with information about achievement and learning gains. The criterion-referenced portion of FCAT-SSS reports each student’s Scale Score, which is then assigned an achievement level from 1 to 5 (Level 1-Below Basic, Level 2-Basic, Level 3 & 4- Proficient, Level 5-Advanced). The FCAT-NRT portion reports each student’s national percentile. Both types of reporting are used for the school’s data analysis to identify school strengths and needs, goals for school improvement, as well as, students’ readiness for promotion.
An analysis of reading and math scores for Killearn Lakes Elementary over the past four years shows continuous improvement. For the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the school program, data for students who were enrolled in the school during both the months of October and February are analyzed. These students are called “Standard Matched Curriculum”. As seen in the chart below, reading scores indicate that in the school year 1999-2000, 89% of the students in grades 3-5 scored 3 or above on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, while the 2002-2003 results showed 93% scored 3 or above. More dramatic improvement in mathematics has been seen, with 71% of students scoring 3 and above in 1999-2000 compared to 92% of students scoring 3 or above in 2002-2003. Florida public schools are graded using a scale of “A” to “F”. Killearn Lakes Elementary has received an “A” grade for the past three years.
Killearn Lakes Elementary results for Standard Matched Curriculum Students (students at the school site during October and February) in Grades 3-5 FCAT-NRT
YearScoring 3 in ReadingScoring3 MathematicsSchool Grade
1999 – 0089 % 71 %B
2000 – 0190 % 84 %A
2001 – 0293 % 92 %A
2002 – 0393% 92 %A
Informal and formal classroom assessments, questions, and observations are used regularly by teachers to gather data which assists them in making instructional adjustments and assignments.
The school wide assessment results in reading and mathematics show a pattern of continuous academic improvement, in both areas. This upward trend in both reading and mathematics can be directly attributed to the process of data driven decision making, a dedicated, caring faculty and staff, and a supportive parent community.
2. Show in one-half page (approximately 200 words) how the school uses assessment data to
understand and improve student and school performance.
Assessment is critical for improving teaching and student performance. To fulfill our educational mission of providing a learning environment that fosters lifelong learning, we must know our strengths and needs by linking curriculum and instruction with assessment. Curriculum revisions are based on analysis of test data. Likewise, our School Improvement Plan (SIP) contains long and short range goals developed according to the data analysis. Since the focus of the plan is on student performance, every aspect of the curriculum must align with these goals.
Data from national and state assessments such as SAT/9-NRT, FCAT-NRT and FCAT-SSS, school climate survey, and other parent and staff input are used to develop the school improvement plan and evaluate the overall program success. Professional development opportunities for our teachers, as well as program changes, are aligned to areas of need; always with the goal of improving student performance.
Test data are used to make decisions regarding individual students, to improve instruction and ultimately improve student performance. Annually, teachers are provided summary scores for their previous class, as well as, summary scores on their current class. Teachers, working with administrators, analyze the data, identify strengths and needs and develop student performance objectives as part of their annual individual professional performance appraisal.
3. Describe in one-half page how the school communicates student performance, including
assessment data, to parents, students, and the community.
Student performance data are shared with students, parents and administrators on a regular basis. Individual standardized test results are sent home with students at the end of the school year or mailed via U.S. Mail. School results are published on the district website, as well as, provided to all parents and the greater community through a document called the School Public Accountability Report. This report is available electronically on the school website and as a paper document. The School Improvement Plan process requires sharing assessment results through a public hearing with the school community.
In Florida all public schools are graded as part of the state’s accountability system. School grades and test results are published by the local newspaper and available through the Department of Education website.
Individual student classroom performance is regularly communicated to parents through weekly “Friday Folders,” student planners in grades 3-5 are used to communicate daily homework assignments, and Mid-Nine Weeks Progress Alerts are sent to parents of students experiencing difficulty in academics, work/study skills, and/or behavior. Parent/teacher conferences are required and teachers also communicate with parents regularly via email, by phone, through bi-monthly newsletters, notes and report cards each nine weeks.
4. Describe in one-half page how the school will share its successes with other schools.