U. S. Department of Education November 2002
2002-2003 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Cover Sheet
Name of Principal / Mrs. Joanne Robblee(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name / Morris Brandon Elementary School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address / 2741 Howell Mill Road, NW
(If address is P. O. Box, also include street address)
Atlanta / Georgia / 30327
City / State / Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
Tel. / (404) 350-2153 / Fax / (404) 350-2826
Website/URL / www.atlanta.k12.ga.us / 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 / March 28, 2003(Principal’s Signature)
Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
Name of Superintendent / Dr. Beverly L. Hall
District Name / Atlanta Public Schools / Tel. / (404) 827-8000
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 / March 28, 2003(Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board
President/Chairperson / Mr. Emmett Johnson
(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 / March 28, 2003(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)
PART II – DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
DISTRICT (Questions 1-2 not applicable to private schools)
1. / Number of schools in the district / 77 / Elementary schools16 / Middle schools
0 / Junior high schools
11 / High schools
104 / TOTAL
2. / District Per Pupil Expenditure: / $8816
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure / $6484
SCHOOL (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. / 2.75 / Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
10.0 / 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 / 50 / 54 / 104 / 7
1 / 49 / 42 / 91 / 8
2 / 54 / 48 / 102 / 9
3 / 35 / 37 / 71 / 10
4 / 52 / 45 / 97 / 11
5 / 41 / 33 / 74 / 12
6 /
Other
/ 6 / 3 / 9TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL
/ 5486. / Racial/ethnic composition of / 91.3 / % White
the students in the school: / 6.8 / % Black or African American
0.7 / % Hispanic or Latino
0.6 / % Asian/Pacific Islander
0.6 / % American Indian/Alaskan Native
100 / % Total
7. / Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: / 4.12 / %
(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. / 7(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 14
(3) / Subtotal of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 21
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 510
(5) / Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4) / 0.041176
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 4.12
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: / .7 / %
4 / Total Number of Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: / 2
Specify languages: Spanish; Russian
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: / 4.3 / %
22 / Total Number Students Who Qualify
If this method is not a reasonable accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income 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: / 7.3 / %37 / Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
1 / Autism / Orthopedic ImpairmentDeafness / 7 / Other Health Impaired
Deaf-Blindness / 5 / Specific Learning Disability
Hearing Impairment / 48 / Speech or Language Impairment
9 / Mental Retardation / Traumatic Brain Injury
Multiple Disabilities / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
11. Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-Time
/ /Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 3 / 0Classroom teachers / 29 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 14 / 6
Paraprofessionals / 8 / 0
Support staff / 6 / 9
Total number / 60 / 13
12. Student-“classroom teacher” ratio: / 18:1
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students. The student drop-off 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 and drop-off rates.
2001-2002 / 2000-2001 / 1999-2000 / 1998-1999 / 1997-1998Daily student attendance / 96.8 / 96.4 / 96.9 / 96.6 / 96.3
Daily teacher attendance / 94.4 / 95.2 / 96.5 / 96.1 / 95.9
Teacher turnover rate / 18.0 / 19.0 / 25.0
Student dropout rate
Student drop-off rate
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 and begin the first sentence with the school’s name, city, and state.
Morris Brandon Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia, is located in the North Atlanta area and is part of the Atlanta Public School system. It currently has 540 students, with 34 students on administrative transfer (5 children of staff members) and 9 students assigned to a self-contained special education class. There are twenty-nine classroom teachers, two Early Intervention Program (EIP) teachers, and twenty specialist teachers on the staff. Because the enrollment is over 500, the administrative staff consists of a full-time Principal, Assistant Principal, Instructional Liaison Specialist, and Counselor.
Over its fifty-five year history, the school has experienced times when neighborhood families chose to send their children to the private schools in the area, which resulted in an increased level of transfer students in order to maintain the size of the student body. About thirteen years ago neighborhood parents decided to enroll their children at Morris Brandon and invest time, effort, and money into the school to create a high performing neighborhood school.
Because of this sustained parent support and teacher commitment, Brandon has steadily improved the quality of its program and level of student achievement. Last year, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation listed Brandon as the second highest-ranking public elementary school in the state, just after a magnet school in a nearby county.
More recently, Brandon has undergone a transition in its surrounding neighborhoods. As older residents leave the neighborhood, families with young children buy and renovate those houses. These young parents identify where they want to live based solely on the neighborhood school and test scores. They have the financial resources to send their children to private school but choose this neighborhood because of the school’s performance. Understandably, there is intense pressure for Brandon to maintain high standards and compete with the private schools in the area. At this time, parents have decided to send their children to Brandon, which ironically has caused the school to become overcrowded. Because of this sudden growth, the system is building an addition to support the school’s increased enrollment.
Even as the pressure for excellence and the enrollment increases, the parents, teachers, and community create a true partnership to support this public school. The PTA has fifty-nine standing committees and 100% membership. Every day parents are in the school volunteering in the classrooms, chairing committees, coordinating activities, or providing support for school-wide initiatives.
Brandon is the realization of its mission statement, which states:
The mission of Morris Brandon Elementary School is
to emphasize academic excellence, responsibility,
and a lifelong love of learning through a challenging
curriculum enriched by family involvement.
As you enter the front lobby, painted on the wall is the motto: “Bee all you can bee”. That is the essence of Brandon. Together parents, teachers, students, and community partners work everyday to make Morris Brandon the best school it can be.
PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Essay 1: Assessment results in reading (language arts or English) and mathematics for the last three years using the criteria determined by the CSSO for the state accountability system.
In the spring of 2000, the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) was administered for the first time to all fourth grade students in public schools. The test specifically assessed mastery of the standards of the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum in the content areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics. Scores ranged from 250 up to 450. Students scoring between 250-300 did not meet standards. Students scoring between 300-350 met standards. Students exceeded standards if they scored between 350 -450.
That same year (Spring, 2000) the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), the state-mandated norm referenced test was administered to all third and fifth grade public school students. Students were assessed in reading, language arts, spelling, math, science, and social studies. The next year, the Stanford Nine Achievement Test was given to all students in third and fifth grade. In 2002, a version of the SAT-9 was administered to the third and fifth grade students. However, after many months of delay, it was determined that the scores could not be validated due to correlation issues with the normed group. As a result these scores were recalled. Due to the inconsistency in the norm referenced testing, there are no consistent data as to the performance of Brandon students. Results from the Spring 2000 ITBS testing and the Spring 2001 SAT-9 testing have been included in the appendices to reflect the consistently high level of student performance.
Over the last three years the CRCT has gradually been phased in across the state at all grade levels. In the spring of 2002, students in grades first, second, third, and fifth took the test for the first time. It was the third year that the fourth grade had taken the test. In order to show the consistently high level of performance of Brandon’s fourth grade students, the results of the last three years have been included in the first part of the appendix. Also, included are the results of the other grade levels, which show how consistently our students meet and exceed standards, even during the first year of testing. These results are included later in the appendix.
Essay 2: Assessment data is used to understand and improve student/school performance.
Morris Brandon utilizes test assessment data to understand and improve student and school performance. As part of the Atlanta Public School system, the school has had targets (performance goals) for the past three years. These targets focus on increasing the percent of students performing in the highest quartile in reading, language arts, and mathematics on standardized and state-mandated tests as well as decreasing the percent of students performing in the lowest quartile. Teachers complete a test analysis each year to determine specific areas of strength and weakness of each student. They identify instructional interventions, which address those conceptual areas. Classroom teachers as well as specialists develop High Expectations Plans that identify strategies, which will be implemented to strengthen the instructional program in those particular areas.
In the spring of 2000, the fourth grade students at Brandon took the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) for the first time. They were tested in the content areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics. Fourth grade students have now taken that state-mandated test for three years. Last spring was the first time for students in first, second, third, and fifth grade to be assessed by the CRCT. When results of the CRCT arrive, an item analysis is performed by grade level teams. This analysis provides the classroom teachers with specific information as to exactly what percent of students missed each question, what responses were selected, and which domain of the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum was involved. Through this in-depth analysis, teachers are able to pinpoint specific standards that need to be addressed, clarified, or reviewed.