U.S. Department of Education
2011 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
A Public School
School Type (Public Schools):
(Check all that apply, if any) /
Charter /
Title 1 /
Magnet /
Choice

Name of Principal: Mrs. Julie Kemp

Official School Name: Chrisney Elementary School

School Mailing Address: / 311 Church Street
Chrisney, IN 47611-0311
County: Spencer / State School Code Number: 7751
Telephone: (812) 362-8200 / E-mail:
Fax: (812) 362-8201 / Web URL: nspencer.k12.in.us/ces

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.

______Date ______
(Principal’s Signature)

Name of Superintendent*: Mr. Dan Scherry Superintendent e-mail:

District Name: North Spencer County School Corporation District Phone: (812) 937-2400

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.

______Date ______
(Superintendent’s Signature)

Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mrs. Pam Thompson

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), 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.
The original signed cover sheet only should be converted to a PDF file and emailed to Aba Kumi, Blue Ribbon Schools Project Manager () or mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173.

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PART I - ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION / 11IN3

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 one or more of grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)

2.  The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years.

3.  To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2010-2011 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.

4.  If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.

5.  The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2005.

6.  The nominated school has not received the Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010.

7.  The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review.

8.  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 OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.

9.  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.

10.  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 / 11IN3

All data are the most recent year available.

DISTRICT

1. / Number of schools in the district: / 4 / Elementary schools
(per district designation) / 1 / Middle/Junior high schools
1 / High schools
0 / K-12 schools
6 / Total schools in district
2. / District per-pupil expenditure: / 10500

SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)

3. / Category that best describes the area where the school is located: / Small city or town in a rural area
4. / Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school: / 4
5. / Number of students as of October 1, 2010 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total
PreK / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6 / 15 / 10 / 25
K / 9 / 13 / 22 / 7 / 0 / 0 / 0
1 / 17 / 16 / 33 / 8 / 0 / 0 / 0
2 / 8 / 15 / 23 / 9 / 0 / 0 / 0
3 / 15 / 13 / 28 / 10 / 0 / 0 / 0
4 / 15 / 8 / 23 / 11 / 0 / 0 / 0
5 / 8 / 20 / 28 / 12 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total in Applying School: / 182

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6. / Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 1 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
0 / % Asian
1 / % Black or African American
0 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
97 / % White
1 / % Two or more races
100 / % Total

Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.

7. / Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the 2009-2010 school year: / 20%
This rate is 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, 2009 until the end of the school year. / 18
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1, 2009 until the end of the school year. / 17
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 35
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1, 2009 / 178
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.20
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 20
8. / Percent limited English proficient students in the school: / 1%
Total number of limited English proficient students in the school: / 2
Number of languages represented, not including English: / 0
Specify languages:

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9. / Percent of students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: / 45%
Total number of students who qualify: / 80
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-priced school meals program, supply an accurate estimate and explain how the school calculated this estimate.
10. / Percent of students receiving special education services: / 26%
Total number of students served: / 46
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
4 / Autism / 1 / Orthopedic Impairment
0 / Deafness / 3 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 4 / Specific Learning Disability
2 / Emotional Disturbance / 32 / Speech or Language Impairment
0 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
0 / Mental Retardation / 0 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
0 / Multiple Disabilities / 0 / Developmentally Delayed
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) / 1 / 0
Classroom teachers / 7 / 1
Special resource teachers/specialists / 1 / 5
Paraprofessionals / 3 / 3
Support staff / 0 / 1
Total number / 12 / 10
12. / Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1: / 20:1

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13. / Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only high schools need to supply graduation rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any student or teacher attendance rates under 95% and teacher turnover rates over 12% and fluctuations in graduation rates.
2009-2010 / 2008-2009 / 2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006
Daily student attendance / 96% / 96% / 95% / 96% / 97%
Daily teacher attendance / 93% / 95% / 97% / 95% / 97%
Teacher turnover rate / 28% / 10% / 10% / 10% / 0%
High school graduation rate / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
If these data are not available, explain and provide reasonable estimates.
High teacher turnover can be attributed to our small school size and declining enrollment. Upon the completion of the 2009-10 school year, two teachers elected to retire. In previous years, teachers transferred from the school as enrollment declined and the need for a teacher was no longer there. During the 2009-10 school year, there were 9 classroom teachers employed at Chrisney Elementary. Two of these took a maternity leave, which decreased the daily teacher attendance. The leaves were covered by licensed, highly qualified individuals.
14. / For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools): Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2010 are doing as of Fall 2010.
Graduating class size: / 0
Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 0 / %
Enrolled in a community college / 0 / %
Enrolled in vocational training / 0 / %
Found employment / 0 / %
Military service / 0 / %
Other / 0 / %
Total / 0 / %
PART III - SUMMARY / 11IN3

Chrisney Elementary strives to be high performing school where all students are expected to achieve at high levels. Our school is a place where students and staff work together to build learning opportunity that enhance literacy skills in ways that are meaningful to the diverse needs of our students.Our goal of creating a differentiated approach to learning and instructing has enabled students to write effectively, read critically, problem solve, and communicate.Ultimately, we want our students to become independent, self-directed learners who have a staff committed to facilitating the learning process.

Teaching and learning reflects an approach that goes beyond the traditional approach to teaching and learning because the world in which our students will live is anything but traditional.This presented a challenge to both the students and the staff.To approach this challenge, we created a school community that is committed to continuous growth and embraces change as an opportunity to excel.We transformed our school into a powerful learning community that provides opportunities for students, staff, parents and community members to achieve in this ever changing world.A commitment of this magnitude is evident within all we do at Chrisney Elementary.We are transforming into a truly professional learning community.

Chrisney Elementary is a school where individual differences are accepted and respected.The faculty and staff also place a great deal of importance on developing a climate where self-esteem is built and good behavior is rewarded.There is a strong conscious effort to provide consistent, fair discipline that focuses on helping students make good choices and to do their very best at all times.Students are recognized and rewarded for being good role models monthly and for strong academic performance quarterly.Additionally, students are recognized daily in the morning assembly.Our school sets high expectations for learning and behavior.Students are also given the opportunity to learn and demonstrate leadership and responsibility skills by participating in many leadership activities and job assignments.These opportunities allow the students to take ownership of their learning, behavior and school as a whole.Students are also provided with many extracurricular academic activities such as academic teams, essay and oratorical contests, Destination Imagination, and Lego Robotics.

Chrisney Elementary staff believes that the school is a major influence on a student’s values, attitudes and future community involvement.We believe that we have created a caring environment and build relationships that encourage trust and respect among all stakeholders.We also believe that everything that happens to our students in and out of school contributes to their development and learning.The community, parents, and staff have a shared responsibility for the development of all of the students if they are to be prepared for the 21st century.We work together with the community and outside agencies to ensure that our students and parents have access to services needed to grow physically, emotionally and psychologically.In addition, the school provides opportunities for parents to become actively engaged in their child’s educational growth.