REVISED MARCH 16, 2005
2004-2005 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
U.S. Department of Education
Cover Sheet Type of School: X Elementary __ Middle __ High __ K-12
Name of Principal Mr. James J. Virga, Jr.
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Viers Mill Elementary School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address 11711 Joseph Mill Road
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
Silver Spring MD 20906-4899
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
County Montgomery School Code Number* 0772
Telephone (301)-929-2165 Fax (301) –929-6977
Website/URL www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/viersmilles/ 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. Jerry D. Weast
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name Montgomery County Public Schools Tel. (301) 279-3381
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 Mrs. Patricia O’Neill
(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)
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 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 2004-2005 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 1999 and has not received the 2003 or 2004 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: 125 Elementary schools
36 Middle schools
_____ Junior high schools
24 High schools
7 Other
192 TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: $10,537
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: $8,765
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. 8 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 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 / 38 / 21 / 59 / 7
K / 58 / 47 / 105 / 8
1 / 45 / 51 / 96 / 9
2 / 59 / 57 / 116 / 10
3 / 50 / 48 / 98 / 11
4 / 53 / 47 / 100 / 12
5 / 44 / 48 / 92 / Other
6
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL ® / 671
[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.]
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 14 % White
the students in the school: 23 % Black or African American
54 % Hispanic or Latino
9 % Asian/Pacific Islander
<1 % 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: 22 % (grades 1-5)
(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. / 69(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 72
(3) / Subtotal of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 141
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 636
(grades 1-5)
(5) / Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4) / .2217
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 22.2%
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 35 %
235 Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: 32+
Specify languages:
Akan, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Cebuano, Farsi, French, French Creole, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi/Urdu, Khmer, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Mandingo, Oriya, Oromo, Palauan, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tanzanian, Thai, Twi, Vietnamese, Yoruba
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 62 %
Total number students who qualify: 413
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: 10 %
70 Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
____Autism ____ Orthopedic Impairment
____Deafness 5 Other Health Impaired
____Deaf-Blindness 30 Specific Learning Disability
____Emotional Disturbance 34 Speech or Language Impairment
____Hearing Impairment ___ _ Traumatic Brain Injury
____Mental Retardation 1 Visual Impairment Including Blindness
____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) 2
Classroom teachers 34
Special resource teachers/specialists 24
Paraprofessionals 3 12
Support staff 8 4
Total number 71 24
12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio: 20:1
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.)
2003-2004 / 2002-2003 / 2001-2002 / 2000-2001 / 1999-2000Daily student attendance / 96% / 95% / 96% / 95% / 95%
Daily teacher attendance / 94% / 94% / 94% / 94% / 94%
Teacher turnover rate / 17% / 16% / 16% / 16% / 16%
Student dropout rate (middle/high) / NA / NA / NA / NA / NA
Student drop-off rate (high school) / NA / NA / NA / NA / NA
PART III SUMMARY
Provide a brief, coherent narrative snapshot of the school in one page (approximately 600 words). Include at least a summary of the school’s mission or vision in the statement.
Viers Mill Elementary School serves a diverse community in the southeastern portion of Montgomery County, Maryland. Viers Mill’s 675 Pre-K through grade 5 students come from 42 different countries and speak 32 different languages. Over 30% of Viers Mill’s students are English Language Learners who are currently receiving English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction on a daily basis. Another 23% of students have received and exited ESOL instruction; therefore, over 58% of Viers Mill students are English Language Learners. Approximately 65% of students qualify for free and reduced-priced meals.
In 2004, Viers Mill became the first Title I school in Montgomery County history to have over 70% of students in grades 3 and 5 achieve proficiency on the Maryland School Assessments in reading and mathematics. This achievement was the result of a concerted effort by staff members, parents, community members, business partners, and the students themselves. Every day, staff members arrive early to make final preparations for instruction. Teachers devote a great deal of time to individual and instructional team planning to prepare learning activities that will meet the needs of individual students. Students arrive at school, smiling and excited to be starting another day of learning. Some students walk to class from Bright Eyes day care, an accredited day care center housed in the building that provides high quality care for school-age students, as well as pre-schoolers and infants. Some students participate in before-school clubs that help them develop reading and math skills. All students eat breakfast in their classrooms with their friends thanks to the Maryland Meals Pilot. Morning announcements remind students of our school focus (Read. Read. Read.) and our Viers Mill PRIDE values (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Excellence). High expectations for student conduct, effort, and achievement are infused into the school climate. Teachers squeeze learning out of every minute of instructional time. Students are engaged in learning and focused on the work at hand. Student achievement in the classroom is supported by ESOL teachers, academic support teachers, and paraeducators, all of whom share a common devotion to student progress. Selected students receive support from the Linkages to Learning, a school-based social services office that provides mental health and case management services.
Viers Mill students benefit from a number of Montgomery County Public Schools initiatives, including all-day Kindergarten, reduced class-size (17:1) in K-2 classes, and staffing enhancements, including a Math Content Coach and Gifted and Talented teacher. Viers Mill receives Title I funding that is devoted to staffing, professional development, instructional materials, and family involvement efforts. These funds are used to implement strategies and activities that are aligned with our school goals through a school improvement process that is built on the Baldrige criteria of excellence. There is a great focus on stakeholder involvement in decision-making.
Viers Mill’s drive for success is supported by valuable partnerships with the Viers Mill PTA and our business partner, the Gazette Newspapers. Every year the Viers Mill PTA devotes over 90% of their total budget to direct service for staff and students. The Viers Mill PTA provides staff with funds for instructional materials, purchases materials for after-school clubs, supports low-income families with field trip assistance, and sponsors Project READ, a weekly activity that keeps the school computer lab and media center open for parents and students to work together on reading activities under the guidance of Viers Mill staff. Through our partnership with the Gazette, we have established a mentoring program that serves over 30 students each school year. Gazette volunteers donate one hour per week to come to the school building to spend quality time with an individual student. Gazette volunteers also help with a weekly after-school Newspaper Club. In 2002, the Gazette was recognized by the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce for their work at Viers Mill.
Through the ongoing collaboration of our staff, parents, and community partners, we will continue to provide our students with an excellent instructional program that results in academic success.
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.
For the last two school years, Maryland has used the Maryland School Assessments (MSA) to evaluate the academic performance of school systems and individual schools. The MSA, which measures individual student proficiency in reading and math, was administered to students in grades 3 and 5 in 2003 and students in grades 3, 4, and 5 in 2004. Student scores are reported as Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. The state of Maryland establishes an Annual Measurable Objective (AMO), which is an annual target for the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency on the MSA. Each year the AMO is raised, pointing toward the ultimate goal of No Child Left Behind, to have 100% of students demonstrating proficiency by 2014. Schools achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP) by having all students and subgroups of students achieve the Annual Measurable Objective.