2005-2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
U.S. Department of Education
Cover Sheet Type of School: (Check all that apply) __ Elementary X Middle __ High __ K-12 __Charter
Name of Principal Mr. Peter Davis
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Hill Classical Middle School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address _____1100 Iroquois Avenue______
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
Long Beach______California______90815-4649______
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
County ____Los Angeles______State School Code Number*______626______
Telephone ( 562 )598-7611 Fax ( 562 )598-6329
Website/URL hillgroupfusion.com 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. Christopher J. Steinhauser
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Long Beach Unified School District Tel. ( 562 )997-8000
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______(Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board Ms. Suja Lowenthal
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 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 for 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 2005-2006 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 2000 and has not received the 2003, 2004, or 2005 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
All data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 12 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: __50_ Elementary schools
__24_ Middle schools
___0_ Junior high schools
___6_ High schools
___5_ Other
__85_ TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: __$5,729_____
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: __$6,987_____
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 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
4 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 / 174 / 186 / 360
K / 8 / 161 / 213 / 374
1 / 9
2 / 10
3 / 11
4 / 12
5 / Other
6 / 193 / 188 / 381
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 1115
[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.]
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 12 % White
the students in the school: 15 % Black or African American
56 % Hispanic or Latino
14 % Asian/Pacific Islander
3 % 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: ___3___%
[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. / 12(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 19
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 31
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 1,115
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3) divided by total students in row (4) / .03
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 3.0
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: ___9__%
_ 100_Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: ___7___
Specify languages: Spanish, Khmer, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese, Arabic, Filipino
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: ___82___%
Total number students who qualify: __914___
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: ___7____%
___81___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.
_6__Autism _13_Orthopedic Impairment
_2__Deafness _2__Other Health Impaired
_0__Deaf-Blindness _37_Specific Learning Disability
_0__Emotional Disturbance _4__Speech or Language Impairment
_0__Hearing Impairment _1__Traumatic Brain Injury
_14_Mental Retardation _2__Visual Impairment Including Blindness
_0__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) ___4______0___
Classroom teachers ___48______1___
Special resource teachers/specialists ___1______6___
Paraprofessionals ___1______14__
Support staff ___13______5___
Total number ___67______26__
12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio, that is, the number of
students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers: __23__
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.
2004-2005 / 2003-2004 / 2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001Daily student attendance / 96.56% / 95.90% / 96.4% / 96.2% / 95.7%
Daily teacher attendance / 95% / 94% / 95% / 94% / 95%
Teacher turnover rate / 14% / 14% / 9% / 17% / 16%
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%
PART III SUMMARY
Hill Classical Middle School is part of the Long Beach Unified School District in Long Beach, California. It is located in a suburban neighborhood, but serves a predominately urban student population who travel from across the city on 13 regular and 6 special education busses.Hill was a year-four program improvement school in the year 2000. However, utilizing the Baldrige Integrated Management Systems Approach for continuous quality improvement, the school reinvented itself, creating the “Classical” concept, which governs the school’s program, gives the school its unique structure and focus. Hill operates on an eight period block schedule. This structure allows the school to offer programs designed to accommodate all of the student populations it serves. Students in the school’s gifted and talented program (R.I.S.E.) and students at grade level are given the opportunity to choose from a wider selection of electives than is offered at most middle schools. English Language Learners have room in their schedules to take an additional period of language development classes, and students with deficits in reading and/or math are required to take double periods of those classes. Hill’s special education population has the ability to receive appropriate interventions, while maintaining full access to grade level electives and core classes.
Using the Baldrige Criteria for Quality Performance, student achievement data, and data from student, parent, and staff surveys as a guide, Hill staff establishes the vision and goals for the school each year as part of a series of planning retreats. Formal goals, written as SMART goals (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, Time-Bound) are revised for each of the following areas: Reading, Writing, Math, Social Responsibility, and Interventions. These goals are shared with parents by the principal at Back to School Night, and progress toward these goals is shared on a regular basis at parent and staff meetings. The Writing goal encompasses a great deal of the instructional and professional development focus of the school.
The mission statement of Hill Classical Middle School is, “Hill Classical Middle School, a school of choice, challenges students to master the basics and explore unlimited possibilities in technology, fine arts, and foreign language. The diverse student community is empowered to meet higher standards of character and academic performance in an enriching, supportive environment that prepares them for high school and beyond.” The staff articulates their vision through a set of shared beliefs and expectations. This vision includes the fusion of the basics in literacy and math and the curriculum provided in both core and elective classes. Hill places a high value on teamwork, high expectations, data driven action, and the creation of a positive learning environment. The school’s staff development plan mirrors these shared values.
The school operates a federal magnet program which provides resources to infuse technology into the core curriculum in such a way that it supports standards-driven learning. Included in the program is a wireless network throughout the entire school, presentation systems used to support visual learning and allow teachers the ability to deliver real-life demonstrations, labs, and provide immediate feedback to students. Technology resources are used to enhance teachers’ ability to gather data on student performance and afford them the opportunity to collaborate in aligning standards, assessment and instruction. Three mobile labs provide all students the opportunity to work on projects at once.
Hill’s facilities are maintained both by school site and district personnel for safety and cleanliness. Using the Safe and Civil Schools’ Philosophy and Professional Development Model, there are many school-wide procedures in place which lay out behavioral and academic expectations. Hill has created a culture that facilitates learning and respect throughout the campus.
PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Assessment Results:
The Academic Performance Index (API) is the cornerstone for California’s Public School Accountability Act. It has a numeric index which ranges from 200 to 1000. To calculate a school’s API, individual student scores on the California Standards Test (CST) and in grade seven, the norm-reference California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition, (CAT 6) are combined into a single number to represent the school’s performance. Each school’s growth is measured by how well it is moving toward its state designated API target and whether each numerically significant subgroup in the school is making the state designated Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) target. The English Language Arts and Mathematics CSTs are the core of the State Testing and Reporting (STAR) assessment and carry the most weight in the API calculations. During the past five years Hill’s API increased 165 points. Hill’s API score for 2005 is 788. This is a growth of 42 points, exceeding the state designated 5 point target. 100% of students’ scores are reflected in the test results; 1099 were tested on STAR, 21 used the Alternate Performance Assessment. All numerically significant subgroups met the AYP criteria for the last 5 years.
2005 California Standards Test
54% of Hill students test at the proficient or advanced proficient level in Language Arts. In mathematics 43 % of the students are proficient or advanced proficient in general math, while 46% of students are proficient or advanced proficient in algebra.