U.S. Department of Education September 2003
2003-2004 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Cover Sheet
Name of Principal Mrs. Marguerite Myers-Killeen
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Thomas G. Alcorn School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address 1010 Enfield Street ______
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
Enfield CT ______06082-3653
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
Tel. ( 860 ) 253-6501 Fax ( 860 ) 253-6506
Website/URL www.enfieldschools.org 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* Dr. John Gallacher
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Enfield Public Schools Tel. ( 860 ) 253-6530
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
President/Chairperson Mr. Kenneth Hilinski
(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
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 2003-2004 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 1998.
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: 9 Elementary schools
1 Middle schools
_____ Junior high schools
2 High schools
_____ Other (Briefly explain)
12 TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: $ 8,193
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: $ 8,457
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:
[ ] Urban or large central city
[ x ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
[ ] Suburban
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. 10 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 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 / 14 / 24 / 38 / 7
1 / 15 / 34 / 49 / 8
2 / 20 / 24 / 44 / 9
3 / 17 / 15 / 32 / 10
4 / 31 / 13 / 44 / 11
5 / 15 / 16 / 31 / 12
6 / 21 / 15 / 36 / Other
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 274
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 69 % White
the students in the school: 16 % Black or African American
9 % Hispanic or Latino
5 % Asian/Pacific Islander
1 % American Indian/Alaskan Native
100% Total
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 15.3 %
(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. / 29(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)] / 43
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 281
(5) / Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4) / 15
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 150
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 2.1 %
6 Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: 4
Specify languages: Polish, Spanish, Romanian, and Korean
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 64 %
179 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: 17.7 %
50 Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
3 Autism Orthopedic Impairment
Deafness 1 Other Health Impaired
Deaf-Blindness 13 Specific Learning Disability
Hearing Impairment 17 Speech or Language Impairment
4 Mental Retardation Traumatic Brain Injury
4 Multiple Disabilities Visual Impairment Including Blindness
4 Neurological Impairment 4 Developmentally Delayed
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
Classroom teachers 16 4
Special resource teachers/specialists 9 2
Paraprofessionals 8 4
Support staff 6 3
Total number 40 13___
12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio: 18:1
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.)
2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001 / 1999-2000 / 1998-1999Daily student attendance / 96.7% / 94.2% / 97.2% / 97.2% / 96.9%
Daily teacher attendance / 95.6% / 95.2% / 94.1% / 94.2% / 94.9%
Teacher turnover rate / 8.0% / 4.0% / 4.0% / 13.0% / 6.0%
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.
The Thomas G. Alcorn School is one of nine elementary schools in the town of Enfield, Connecticut. Our school reopened in 1994 after being closed for remodeling and renovation for three years. The Thompsonville area community welcomed the reopening of our neighborhood school, which had always provided a haven of acceptance and belonging for its students. Since all of our students walk to and from school, the new Alcorn soon became the hub of academic and social activities for neighborhood families. Today Alcorn is a thriving K-6 community of learners with a population of 281 students, including the largest minority population in the district. Close to 60% of our students are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Therefore, the State of Connecticut classifies us as a priority school in a non-priority district making us eligible for state and federal grant awards.
With the reopening of Alcorn School, the new Principal and staff seized the opportunity to create “a safe cooperative, literate environment which respects individuality while promoting life long learning.” This became our mission. The Principal became an instructional leader who took the reins in leading her new team to become the living models of these words. Teachers continually engage in professional growth opportunities by taking graduate level courses, attending workshops and conferences and by reading professional literature. We maintain a large library of professional books, which teachers eagerly share. For several years, a large group of staff members, including the principal, attended a week long summer institute on Language Arts instruction. Teachers studied with such educators as Ken and Yetta Goodman, Connie Weaver, Bobbi Fisher, and Mem Fox. Excellent self-directed professional development opportunities such as this helped our new staff bond as we developed our common vision for Alcorn School. New learning and teaching strategies are shared with other staff members through staff meetings, building in-service times, teacher discussion groups, and in daily conversation. Alcorn teachers practice an “open door” policy through which they observe one another while discussing ways to differentiate and improve their instructional practice.
“A student must know that a teacher cares before a student learns.” We begin every school year with a reflection of this quote by Dr. Deb Smith. At Alcorn, we believe that a child’s academic growth is directly related to his/her self-esteem. We want each child to know he or she is a valuable part of our school family. We nurture our students’ academic and social growth daily through morning meetings in every classroom, a practice gleaned from our “Responsive Classroom” training. Alcorn celebrates the many accomplishments of our “Hornets” at bi-monthly Student of the Month or POPS (Power of Positive Students and Staff) assemblies. Alcorn teachers have developed a strong Character Education program, focusing each month on different traits such as acceptance, responsibility or perseverance. Students and staff embody these traits daily.
Alcorn School is a true community school linked to other agencies and services in the town. Through funding received from state grants, our students and families have access to an After School Program and the services/programs of a Family Resource Center. The Enfield Police and Fire Department also provide programs for students and spend time in our school establishing relationships with the children. Alcorn School is a very special place where all staff members work as an educational team to provide unique opportunities for all children to learn and grow. By addressing the needs of the “whole child” each day, our students have been able to improve to a level where they have earned a nomination as a Blue Ribbon School in the State of Connecticut.
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.
At the Thomas G. Alcorn School, we believe that the fundamental goal of teaching and learning should be that every child is guaranteed optimal instruction and the opportunity to reach his or her educational potential. We believe that assessment and evaluation practices are legitimate only to the extent that they serve this goal.
Since its development in 1984, the CMT has evolved into a third generation test in the year 2000. It is administered statewide to all public school students in grades 4, 6, and 8 in the areas of language arts (reading and writing) and mathematics. It is a criterion-referenced test that provides a measure of what each student knows and can do in relation to specific standards. It reflects a commitment to the development of strategic readers, writers and thinkers. The purposes of mastery testing are:
• to establish high expectations and standards for student outcomes
• to identify students strengths and weaknesses by testing a wide range of academic skills
• to provide feedback and support for each student
• to identify the need for intervention for students experiencing consistent difficulty
• to provide a professional and objective profile of a child’s progress over a period of time
• to provide valuable test information about students, schools, and districts.