2010 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / []Charter / []Title I / []Magnet / [X]Choice
Name of Principal: Miss Katy Feeney
Official School Name: Our Lady of the Assumption School
School Mailing Address:
1617 Parkview Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461-5220
County: BronxState School Code Number*:
Telephone: (718) 829-1706Fax: (718) 931-2693
Web site/URL: http://www.olaschoolbronx.comE-mail:
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*: Dr. Timothy McNiff
District Name: Archdiocese of New York Tel: (212) 371-1000
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:
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
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 2009-2010 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 2003.
6. The nominated school has not received the Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009.
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 DATAAll data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 1-2 not applicable to private schools)
Does not apply to private schoolsSCHOOL (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
4.3Number of years the principal has been in her/his position 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 / 23 / 17 / 40 / 6 / 14 / 21 / 35
K / 13 / 13 / 26 / 7 / 21 / 18 / 39
1 / 13 / 25 / 38 / 8 / 15 / 21 / 36
2 / 17 / 17 / 34 / 9 / 0
3 / 18 / 15 / 33 / 10 / 0
4 / 14 / 11 / 25 / 11 / 0
5 / 12 / 23 / 35 / 12 / 0
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 341
6.Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 0 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
0 / % Asian
1 / % Black or African American
33 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
53 / % White
13 / % 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 past year:3%
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 until theend of the year. / 4
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 6
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 10
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 340
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.029
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 2.941
8.Limited English proficient students in the school:1%
Total number limited English proficient5
Number of languages represented:2
Specify languages:
Spanish and Albanian
9.Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals:14%
Total number students who qualify:49
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-price school meals 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:2%
Total Number of Students Served:7
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
0 / Autism / 0 / Orthopedic Impairment0 / Deafness / 0 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 5 / Specific Learning Disability
0 / Emotional Disturbance / 2 / 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 StaffFull-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 1 / 0
Classroom teachers / 10 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 1 / 6
Paraprofessionals / 0 / 0
Support staff / 9 / 0
Total number / 21 / 6
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., 22:134:1
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any attendance rates under 95%, teacher turnover rates over 12%, or student dropout rates over 5%.
2008-2009 / 2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006 / 2004-2005Daily student attendance / 95% / 97% / 95% / 95% / 95%
Daily teacher attendance / 98% / 97% / 98% / 99% / 99%
Teacher turnover rate / 0% / 14% / 21% / 19% / 37%
Student dropout rate / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
Please provide all explanations below.
The teacher turnover rate exceeds 12% due to downsizing. Now that the school has reached one class per grade, the turnover of the faculty has stabilized.
14. For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools).
Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2009 are doing as of the Fall 2009.
Graduating class size / 0Enrolled 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 (travel, staying home, etc.) / 0 / %
Unknown / 0 / %
Total / %
PART III - SUMMARY
A visitor to Our Lady of the Assumption School (“OLA”) would begin the day by joining the entire school community in the following daily prayer: Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see what is beautiful. Open my heart to love what is good because I belong to Jesus, and I want to be like Him. These words convey not an abstract ideal, but a concrete goal: to be like Jesus, to have an open heart to love goodness, and to know and desire to belong to God. There can be no greater goal or foundation in life than this. Catholic education – particularly as expressed at OLA – is founded on the reality that each person, created by God in His own image, has a unique destiny that is only fulfilled in relationship to Him.
After grounding the day in prayer, the visitor to OLA would find a community in the New York City borough of the Bronx, enjoying the benefits and challenges of urban life. The sounds of the elevated train to Manhattan and planes in their landing approach to JFK airport make up the ever-present soundtrack to life. Numbered among OLA parents are those who ran into the World Trade Center on September 11 to save lives. Families struggle and sacrifice to afford their child’s Catholic education, some working two and three jobs to pay rent or mortgage plus tuition. The parents of OLA are active participants in their child’s education: checking homework nightly through the website, viewing grades through the Student Information System, conferencing with teachers and principal, and participating in the Parent Guild events. OLA parents are vital collaborators with faculty and staff so that the students can achieve excellence.
The vehicle for academic excellence that drives learning at OLA is summed up in the following phrase, inspired by the education program at Manhattan College: More learning, for more children, in more ways, more of the time. The visitor to OLA would see that philosophy embodied in a variety of ways: Smart Boards mounted in most classrooms and Smart-Board access to all classes, a state-of-the-art computer lab used for technology integration in all subjects, a science lab for hands-on experiments, art and subject projects displayed throughout the building, an innovative reading program that stresses student learning and practice of comprehension skills, cooperative learning in small groups, integration of religious and ethical values across the curriculum, focus on math and study skills development, learning and practice of musical instruments in order to perform in regular concerts, Spanish classes in all grades, and physical education classes and sports teams.
The visitor to OLA could not help but be impressed with the dedicated, hard-working faculty and staff. The goal of every person in the building is student excellence. Each action, lesson, and interaction is driven by the desire of the entire staff to help form each student in the OLA tradition of academic and spiritual excellence. The majority of the faculty has served in Catholic schools for over 20 years. The entire faculty Grades 1-8 is State-certified and most have completed the Archdiocesan Catechist Formation program. Faculty members regularly participate in professional development courses and continue to study education on a graduate level in order to update or complete elements of their knowledge and skills.
Finally, the OLA student would leave a lasting impression on the visitor. As a result of his/her education at OLA, the student is formed in knowledge and faith: aware that he/she is created by God and called to develop his/her innate gifts and talents to achieve his/her potential.
1. Assessment Results:
The excellence and quality of education at OLA are illustrated by the distinction of the performance on standardized tests in the last few years. Of particular note is the significant improvement in both Reading and Math of the eighth grade. By use of the data to drive instruction for learning, student achievement is continually improving, individually and collectively.
Over the last five years, OLA has administered the Iowa Test of Basic Skills to Grades 1-8 in the Spring and participated in the New York State testing program for Grades 4, 5 and 8 in the Winter and Spring. The New York State ELA, Math, and Science tests have been administered to Grades 4 and 8. The New York State Social Studies test has been administered to Grades 5 and 8. The eighth grade also takes the TACHS exam (“Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools”) in November of each year, resulting in a 100 percent acceptance into Catholic high schools and millions of dollars worth of scholarship offers to our graduates. Additionally, every year OLA students take the New York City Specialized High School test. OLA students have been accepted at and attended public high schools of distinction, including Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, Bronx High School of Science, and Fiorello LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts.
Achievement at OLA is not limited by race. OLA School is proud to note that in many cases the Hispanic subgroup of students achieve higher scores than the total class score. Students in different subgroups not reported, due to less than 10 per class, also enjoy achievement consistent with the overall distinction of standardized test scores at OLA. Nor is achievement at OLA limited by a student’s challenges: the scores and excellent achievement reported herein include all students.
An analysis of the ITBS results shows that scores in the primary and intermediate grades are consistently high and above grade level. Also of note is the significant improvement in the middle school scores in the last few years. A data-driven initiative to improve student learning has been in place, and the results are tangible. These scores reflect not only performance on standardized tests, but are consistent with teacher-made tests and classroom performance. The results of the ITBS assessment tests place OLA's eighth grade in the top 10 percent of schools in the nation.
OLA students’ performance on New York State tests is excellent. Grade 4 achievement in the NYS Math test has been consistently high, culminating in this past year’s 97 percent of the students meeting standards. Grade 4 ELA performance is equally impressive with 94 percent of the students meeting standards. On the NYS ELA test for Grade 8, 89 percent of the students met the standards. The highlight of OLA’s Grade 8 NYS scores is the Math score: 100 percent of the eighth grade met the standards. This achievement places OLA well within the top 10 percent in New York State, as evidenced in the verification attached hereto. For more information on New York State testing, the website can be found at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/.
The performance of OLA students on both national and statewide standardized tests is evidence of an excellent instructional program, a dedicated and professional faculty and staff, and caring and supportive parents. Additionally, it is evidence of the quality of education and achievement consistent with Blue Ribbon Schools.