2004-2005 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
U.S. Department of Education
Cover Sheet Type of School: _X_ Elementary _ Middle __ High __ K-12
Name of Principal Mr. James Alan Meade
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Rye Cove Intermediate
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address____Rt 4 Box 59 __
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
_____Clinchport______VA______24244-9207______
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
County ______Scott______School Code Number*______020______
Telephone ( 276 ) 940-2322 Fax ( 276 ) 940-4161
Website/URLhttp://scott.k12.va.us/rci/ 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* Mr. James B. Scott
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Scott County Public Schools Tel. ( 276 )386-6118
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. David Kindle
President/Chairperson
(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 spac
1
PART I ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION
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.
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 2004-2005 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 1999 and has not received the 2003 or 2004 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
1. Number of schools in the district: __7__ Elementary schools
__3 _ Middle schools
_____ Junior high schools
__3 _ High schools
_____ Other
__13__ TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: __$1,278___
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: __$5,870___
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
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ X] Rural
4. 3 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 / 39 / 24 / 63
K / 8
1 / 9
2 / 10
3 / 11
4 / 12
5 / 35 / 25 / 60 / Other
6 / 29 / 35 / 64
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 187
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 100 % White
the students in the school: % Black or African American
% Hispanic or Latino
% Asian/Pacific Islander
% 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: ___7____%
(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. / 6(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 13
(3) / Subtotal of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 19
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 (same as in #5 above) / 183
(5) / Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4) / 0
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 10
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: __0____%
__0 ___Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: ___1____
Specify languages:
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: __64__%
Total number students who qualify: _119 _
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: ___19___%
___36___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 Impairment
____Deafness _15_Other Health Impaired
____Deaf-Blindness _17_Specific Learning Disability
____Hearing Impairment ____Speech or Language Impairment
__2 Mental Retardation ____Traumatic Brain Injury
__1_Multiple Disabilities ____Visual Impairment Including Blindness
____Emotional Disturbance
11. Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-time Part-Time
Administrator(s) ___1__ ___1___
Classroom teachers __11__ ___3___
Special resource teachers/specialists ___2______3___
Paraprofessionals ______
Support staff ___3______2___
Total number __17______9___
12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio: __20 to 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.)
2003-2004 / 2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001 / 1999-2000Daily student attendance / 96% / 96% / 95% / 96% / 96%
Daily teacher attendance / 97% / 97% / 96% / 97% / 96%
Teacher turnover rate / 6% / 11% / 16% / 0% / 0%
Student dropout rate (middle/high) / N/A% / N/A% / N/A% / N/A% / N/A%
Student drop-off rate (high school) / N/A% / N/A% / N/A% / N/A% / N/A%
PART III – SUMMARY______
A Snapshot of Our School
Located in the northwest end of Scott County, the Rye Cove Intermediate School is situated on a plateau surrounded by a panoramic view of central Appalachian mountain ranges and peaks that reach the adjoining counties of Lee, Wise, and Russell. The school lies in a strictly rural setting and is connected to the county seat of Gate City by U.S. Highway 23 via Virginia Routes 65 and 649. Scott County has suffered economically in the past few years due to the weakening of the coal-mining industry in the surrounding area. Since the majority of our county is farmland, we have also seen an economic decline due to the cutbacks in the tobacco industry. At the same time, there has been some increase in new industry to our area. Tempur Production built a mattress factory in the Duffield area, and state and federal prisons have been built in surrounding counties. However, Scott County is still one of the most economically disadvantaged counties in Virginia, with sixty-four percent of the students at Rye Cove Intermediate School qualifying for free and reduced lunch, and yet test scores are among the best in the state. The county supports education at Rye Cove Intermediate School by providing fifteen full-time and five part-time teachers serving 187 students in grades five, six, and seven.
The staff of Rye Cove Intermediate School strongly believes that all students can learn. We also recognize the correlation between possessing a positive self-concept and success in school. As a result, we endeavor to create and maintain an atmosphere of friendliness, safety, cleanliness, cooperation, and mutual respect, while at the same time challenging students academically and socially to become happy, healthy, successful, and responsible individuals.
Our mission is to equip every student with the necessary academic skills to pass the Virginia Standards of Learning, and at the same time help them acquire the social skills necessary to successfully make the transition to high school and their next level of education. The entire faculty and staff at Rye Cove Intermediate are committed to the belief that all children can learn and that it is our responsibility to assure that no child is left behind. We strive to achieve an atmosphere where students feel safe and respected while being challenged by highest expectations. We take great pride in the beauty of our campus and the positive physical atmosphere of our building.
Rye Cove Intermediate School’s educational program provides a full range of educational opportunities to help prepare all students to become active, productive citizens in the world of their future. The focus of our curriculum is on the Standards of Learning (SOL) objectives as approved by the Virginia General Assembly and required by the Standards of Quality. To meet these standards, teachers use a variety of techniques such as hands-on-learning, cooperative learning, team teaching, and Blooms Taxonomy. In addition, computers are used extensively to enhance the curriculum. Classroom teachers and resource teachers use various programs in the classrooms and in the computer labs on a daily basis. For example, the A+dvanced Learning System has lessons for language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies which have been correlated to the Virginia Standards of Learning. Rye Cove teachers use these lessons to review and reinforce skills and concepts previously taught in the classroom. SOL-To-Go, a program created by two Virginia teachers (www.kidzsolutions.com), also addresses the four core curriculum areas for grades K through eight. This program gives students the opportunity to compete against classmates in a fun, game style format while learning and reviewing valuable grade-level skills. Another program, Clue Finders by Scholastic, covers important concepts in reading and math, while allowing students to enjoy their computer time.
To further help with language arts, teachers use the NCS Writing Mentor for Virginia, a program that allows teachers and students to view sample writing rubrics to help prepare for the Virginia Standards of Learning Writing test. Students are guided through graded essays that demonstrate correct usage in composing, written expression, and usage and mechanics. Students also view essays that have not met state standards. These essays provide students with an opportunity to evaluate and edit another student’s work. Through this program, students gain a greater understanding of written expression and become more effective writers. In addition, the Accelerated Reader program from Renaissance Learning is used to encourage reading and supplement the language arts curriculum. Moreover, because Accelerated Reader tests have become more available for nonfiction books, this program is also used to enhance and supplement our social studies and science curriculums.
Rye Cove teachers use two computer programs in particular to reinforce the social studies curriculum. The Virginia SOL Test Prep program (www.gallopade.com) consists of more than 350 questions in Virginia SOL test format, which cover 100 percent of the social studies curriculum objectives. The other program, Race to the Governor’s House by Crystal M. Tenney, is a trivia type game that covers U.S. History to 1877, U.S. History 1877 to the present, and Civics and Economics. Students are also given a copy of the questions from the Race which they use in the classroom as Race Cards or Flash Cards to quiz each other.
Rye Cove Intermediate has a unique outdoor nature center that is used to supplement classroom activities in all subject areas. The outdoor nature center includes approximately three acres of woodland, an amphitheatre classroom, and numerous trails that form a maze. The Rye Cove Intermediate nature center is a great place for hands-on learning. It is used to observe and learn about soil formation and composition. Our section of Virginia is a Karst area, and students are able to observe water runoff and erosion in parts of the nature center, which helps them better understand how rain water can enter sinkholes and pollute water systems. The nature center is a deciduous biome where the classes have observed deer, rabbits and a variety of birds. One fall day a class happened upon about nine deer, which scattered in all directions. There is also a resident black snake that has been named “Molly.” The nature center is also an excellent place for activities in math and language arts. Students work in groups to gather information about various trees, flowers, and wildlife. This data is often used to create charts and graphs that will be used in math presentations. When writing poetry, students are taken into the nature center so they can experience nature, which seems to help the students relax and make writing their poems easier and more enjoyable.