2010 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / []Charter / [X]Title I / []Magnet / [X]Choice
Name of Principal: Ms. Darlene Brister
Official School Name: Ryan Elementary School
School Mailing Address:
10337 Elm Grove Garden Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70817-3113
County: East Baton Rouge State School Code Number*: 17078
Telephone: (225) 775-2407 Fax: (225) 778-2709
Web site/URL: http://ryan.ebrschools.org/E-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*: Mr. John Dilworth
District Name: East Baton Rouge Parish Tel: (225) 922-5400
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: Mr. Jerry Arbour
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 2004.
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)
1. Number of schools in the district: (per district designation) / 52 / Elementary schools (includes K-8)15 / Middle/Junior high schools
15 / High schools
0 / K-12 schools
82 / TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: 13806
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. 12 Number 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 / 20 / 20 / 40 / 6 / 0
K / 29 / 25 / 54 / 7 / 0
1 / 18 / 33 / 51 / 8 / 0
2 / 20 / 30 / 50 / 9 / 0
3 / 37 / 27 / 64 / 10 / 0
4 / 27 / 34 / 61 / 11 / 0
5 / 31 / 20 / 51 / 12 / 0
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 371
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 0 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
0 / % Asian
99 / % Black or African American
0 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1 / % White
0 / % 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: 25%
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. / 38
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 54
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 92
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 371
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.248
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 24.798
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 0%
Total number limited English proficient 0
Number of languages represented: 0
Specify languages:
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 96%
Total number students who qualify: 355
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: 12%
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.
0 / Autism / 2 / Orthopedic Impairment0 / Deafness / 3 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 0 / Specific Learning Disability
0 / 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 StaffFull-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 1 / 0
Classroom teachers / 20 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 4 / 0
Paraprofessionals / 7 / 0
Support staff / 7 / 0
Total number / 39 / 0
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 19 :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 / 92% / 95% / 94% / 95% / 95%
Daily teacher attendance / 95% / 93% / 95% / 92% / 92%
Teacher turnover rate / 10% / 21% / 22% / 16% / 15%
Student dropout rate / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
Please provide all explanations below.
Absenteeism is not a serious problem on our campus. Our students generally miss class only when ill or to attend doctor's or dentist's appointments. The majority of student absenteesim in the 08-09school yearis due to a large number of our students who attend our school via the School Choice Program. They must use transportation that requires a bus transfer, so the students must be at the bus stop before sunrise. Another contributing factor is the influx of homeless students as an after effect of Hurricane Katrina.
Teacher turnover rates are not significantly high. We must compete with neighboringDistricts who offer higher salaries. We also lose teachers due to retirement and family related issues. Our schoolis located on the far northern end of our District , so the teachers must travel an average of thirty minutes each way to reach our school. Some teachers opt for jobs that allow lesstravel time.
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
Ryan Elementary’s motto is, “Every Child, Every Day, Whatever it Takes”. This is not only a motto; it is a reflection of the mission and vision of Ryan Elementary.
Ryan was built in the late 1960’s and it was originally meant to service the somewhat rural population of North Baton Rouge. As the years have changed so has the population of the school and its surrounding environment.Ryan now services an at risk population that resides mainly in government assisted housing. The area is now classified as urban.
The academic vision for the school is the cornerstone of the entire program.The core is the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum that is used throughout the state.By carefully structuring the academic day, classroom teachers meet as a grade level to collaborate, design instruction, analyze data, evaluate student work, etc.Ancillary teachers also meet to integrate the various content areas. In the beginning of reform, Ryan was a traditional like so many other schools.Then we transformed to Professional Learning Communities.“We focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold ourselves accountable for results.”Assessment for learning is the catalyst for school improvement.
Approximately, 10 years ago, Ryan had a 17% passing rate on the LEAP (Louisiana Educational Assessment Program) state mandated test in the English/ Language Arts curriculum. Results form the latest round of testing administered in the Spring of 09, Ryan had a 96% percent passing of the LEAP test in English/ Language Arts.Our school performance score has also risen dramatically. The school performance score consists if three parts. These parts are the LEAP scores, the iLEAP scores as well as average daily attendance.
During the 2004-2005 school year, Ryan earned a school performance score of 74. This score placed Ryan in the category of the One Star performing schools. Our most recent school performance score is 96. This places Ryan in the category of the Two Star performing schools. We are now on the cusp of being rated as a Three Star performing school, falling only 4 points short of the 100 points needed.
Ryan’s biggest strengths are its faculty and staff, and a strong educational leader who has the courage to remove barriers to achieve success thus creating a culture of excellence.Staff at Ryan Elementary has the skills and commitment to respond to students’ needs in a timely, systematic and directive environment.Everyone who has the privilege to work at Ryan does so with the firm belief that all children are capable of learning, no matter how dire their economic status may be. The commitment of time, energy and an overwhelming belief that we can do what other schools say is impossible, drives the Ryan family to aspire to higher test scores and more successful students in their future academic endeavors.
What makes Ryan truly a remarkable and award worthy is that we are a 90/90/90 school. This means our student population consists of 90 percent or more minority population. This also means that over 90 percent of our students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Finally, this also means that over 90 percent of our Fourth graders pass the state mandated (LEAP) proficiency test. This feat is astonishing considering our students are outperforming the majority of their peers who do not come from low socioeconomic surroundings.